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fession. On the other side, it is most certain, first, That there are no spiritual distinguishing fruits of redemption ascribed to these false teachers, but only common gifts of light and knowledge, which Christ hath purchased for many for whom he did not make his soul a ransom. Secondly, That according to our adversaries, the redemption of any by the blood of Christ, cannot be a peculiar aggravation of the sins of any, because they say he died for all; and yet this buying of the false teachers is held out as an aggravation of their sin in particular. Of the former uncertainties whereon our adversaries build their inference of universal redemption (which yet can by no means be wire-drawn thence, were they most certain in their sense) I shall give a brief account, and then speak something as to the proper intendment of the place.

For the first, It is most uncertain whether Christ, as mediator, be here intended by Lord or no. There is not any thing in the text to enforce us so to conceive; nay the contrary seems apparent. First, Because in the following verses, God only as God, with his dealings towards such as these is mentioned; of Christ not a word. Secondly, The name SeoTórns, properly 'Herus,' attended by dominion and sovereignty is not usually, if at all, given to our Saviour in the New Testament; he is every where called kúpios, no where clearly deonórns, as is the Father, Luke ii. 29. Acts iv. 24. and in divers other places. Besides, if it should appear that this name were given our Saviour in any one place, doth it therefore follow that it must be so here? Nay, is the name proper for our Saviour in the work of redemption? deoórns is such a Lord or Master as refers to the servants and subjection. The end of Christ's purchasing any by his blood being in the Scripture always and constantly expressed in other terms of more endearment; it is then most uncertain that Christ should be here understood by the word Lord.'

But suppose he should, it is most uncertain, that by buying of these false teachers, is meant his purchasing of them with the ransom of his blood: for, first, the apostle insisteth on a comparison with the times of the Old Testament, and the false prophets that were then amongst the people; backing his assertion with divers examples out of the Old Testament, in the whole chapter following. Now the

word ȧyopáw here used, signifieth primarily the buying of things; translatitiously, the redemption of persons; and the word in the Old Testament answering thereunto, signifieth any deliverance, as Deut. vii. 8. xv. 15. Jer. xv. 21. with innumerable other places; and therefore some such deliverance is here only intimated. Secondly, Because here is no mention of blood, death, price, or offering of Jesus Christ, as in other places, where proper redemption is treated on, especially some such expression is added, where the word ȧyopáw is used to express it, as, 1 Cor. vi. 20. Rev. v. 9. which otherwise holds out of itself deliverance in common from any trouble. Thirdly, The apostle setting forth at large the deliverance they had, and the means thereof, ver. 20. affirms it to consist in the escaping of the pollution of the world, as idolatry, false worship, and the like, by the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; plainly declaring that their buying, was only in respect of this separation from the world, in respect of the enjoyment of the knowledge of the truth; but of washing in the blood of the Lamb he is wholly silent. Plainly, there is no purchase mentioned of these false teachers, but a deliverance by God's dispensations towards them, from the blindness of Judaism or Paganism, by the knowledge of the gospel; whereby the Lord bought them to be servants to him as their supreme head. So that our adversaries' argument from this place is this; God the Lord, by imparting the knowledge of the gospel, and working them to a professed acknowledgment of it, and subjection unto it, separated and delivered from the world divers that were saints in show, really wolves and hypocrites, of old ordained to condemnation; therefore Jesus Christ shed his blood for the redemption and salvation of all reprobates and damned persons in the whole world.' Who would not admire our adversaries' chemistry?

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Thirdly, Neither is it more certain, that the apostle speaketh of the purchase of the wolves and hypocrites, in respect of the reality of the purchase, and not rather in respect of that estimation which others had of them, and by reason of their outward seeming profession, ought to have had; and of the profession that themselves made, to be purchased by him, whom they pretended to preach to others; as the Scripture saith, the gods of Damascus smote him,'

VOL. V.

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2 I

because he himself so imagined and professed; 2 Chron xxviii. 23. The latter hath this also to render it probable, viz. That it is the perpetual course of the Scripture, to ascribe all those things to every one that is in the fellowship of the church, which are proper to them only, who are true spiritual members of the same, as to be saints, elect, redeemed, &c. Now the truth is, from this their profession, that they were bought by Christ, might the apostle justly, and that according to the opinion of our adversaries, press these false teachers by the way of aggravating their sin: for the thing itself, their being bought, it could be no more urged to them than to heathens and infidels that never heard of the name of the Lord Jesus. Now after all this, if our adversaries can prove universal redemption from this text, let them never despair of success in any thing they undertake, be it never so absurd, fond, or foolish: but when they have wrought up the work already cut out for them, and proved first, That by the Lord is meant Christ as Mediator. Secondly, That by buying is meant spiritual redemption by the blood of the Lamb. Thirdly, That these false teachers were really and effectually so redeemed, and not only so accounted, because of the church. Fourthly, That those who are so redeemed may perish, contrary to the express Scripture, Rev. xiv. 4. Fifthly, Manifest the strength of this inference, some in the church, who have acknowledged Christ to be their purchaser, fall away to blaspheme him and perish for ever; therefore Christ bought and redeemed all that ever did or shall perish. Sixthly, That that which is common to all, is a peculiar aggravation to the sin of any one more than others. I will assure them they shall have more work provided for them, which themselves know for a good part already where to find.

The last place produced for the confirmation of the argument in hand, is, Heb. x. 29. 'Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite to the Spirit of grace?' Nothing (say our adversaries) could be affirmed of all this concerning apostates, viz. That they trod under foot,' &c. unless the blood of Christ was in some sense shed for them.

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Ans. The intention of the apostle in this place, is the

same with the general aim and scope of the whole epistle; to persuade and urge the Jews, who had embraced the doctrine of the gospel, to perseverance and continuance therein. This as he doth perform in other places, with divers and various arguments, the most of them taken from a comparison, at large instituted between the gospel in its administration, and those legal shadows, which, before their profession, they lived under, and were in bondage unto: so here, he urgeth a strong argument to the same purpose ab incommodo, seu effectu pernitioso, from the miserable dangerous effects and consequences of the sin of backsliding, and wilful renunciation of the truth known and professed, upon any motives and inducements whatsoever; which he assureth to be no less than a total casting off, and depriving themselves of all hopes and means of recovery, with dreadful horror of conscience in expectation of judgment to come; ver. 26, 27. Now this he confirms, as his manner is in this epistle, from some thing, way, and practice, which was known to them, and wherewith they were all acquainted, by that administration of the covenant under which they had before lived in their Judaism; and so makes up his inference from a comparison of the less; taking his example, from the punishment due by God's own appointment, to all them who transgressed Moses' law, in such a manner as apostates sin against the gospel; that is, with a high hand and contemptuously; for, such a one was to die without mercy; Numb. xv. 30, 31. Whereupon, having abundantly proved, that the gospel and the manifestation of grace therein, is exceedingly preferred to, and exalted above, the old ceremonies of the law, he concludes, that certainly (which he leaves to their judgment to determine) that much sorer punishment, awaits for them who wilfully violate the holy gospel, and despise the declaration of grace therein contained, and by it revealed; which farther also to manifest, he sets forth the nature and quality of this sin, in all such as, professing redemption and deliverance by the blood of Christ, shall wilfully cast themselves thereinto. It is, saith he, no less than to tread under foot, or contemn the Son of God, to esteem the blood of the covenant, by which he was set apart and sanctified in the profession of the gospel, to be as the blood of a vile man, and thereby to despite the Spirit of

grace. This being (as is confessed) the plain meaning and aim of the apostle; we may observe sundry things for the vindication of this place from the abuse of our adversaries; as,

First, He speaketh here only of those that were profes sors of the faith of the gospel, separated from the world, brought into a church, state and fellowship, professing themselves to be sanctified by the blood of Christ, receiv ing and owning Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and endued with the gifts of the Holy Spirit; as chap. vi. Now it is most certain, that these things are peculiar only to some, yea to a very few, in comparison of the universality of the sons of men; so that what is affirmed of such only, can by no means be so extended as to be applied unto all. Now if any one may be exempted, universal redemption falleth to the ground; from the condition of a very few, with such qualifications as the multitude have not, nothing can be concluded concerning all.

Secondly, The apostle doth neither declare what hath been, nor assert what may be, but only adds a commination upon a supposition of a thing; his main aim being, to deter from the thing, rather than to signify that it may be, by shewing the misery that must needs follow, if it should so come to pass. When Paul told the soldiers, Acts xxvii. that if the mariners fled away in the boat, they could not be saved, he did not intend to signify to them, that in respect of the event they should be drowned; for God had declared the contrary unto him the night before, and he to them; but only to exhort them to prevent that, which of itself was a likely way for their ruin and perishing. Neither shall the remonstrants, with all their rhetoric, ever persuade us that it is in vain and altogether fruitless to forewarn men of an evil, and to exhort them to take heed of those ways, whereby it is naturally, and according to the order among the things themselves to be incurred, although in respect of the purpose of God the thing itself have no futurition, nor shall ever come to pass; a commination of the judgment due to apostacy, being an appointed means for the preserving of the saints from that sin, may be held out to them, though it be impossible the elect should be seduced. Now that Paul here deals only upon a supposition (not giving being to the

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