Now how could one, as Paul did, Col. i. 28. they have preached the gospel to every man, as became the ministers of Jesus Christ, in much assurance, if salvation by that gospel had not been possible to all? What! if some of those had asked them, or should now ask any of these doctors, who deny the universality of Christ's death, and yet preach it to all promiscuously, "Hath Christ died for me?" How can they, with confidence, give a certain answer to this question? if they give a conditional answer, as their principle obligeth them to do, and say, "If thou repent, Christ hath died for thee;" doth not the same question still recur? "Hath Christ died for me, so as to make repentance possible to me?" To this they can answer nothing, unless they run in a circle; whereas the feet of those that bring the glad tidings of the gospel of peace are said to be beautiful, for that they preach the common salvation, repentance unto all; offering a door of mercy and hope to all, through Jesus Christ, who gave himself a ransom for all. The gospel invites all: and certainly by the gospel Christ intended not to deceive and delude the greater part of mankind, when he invites, and crieth, saying; "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." If all then ought to seek after him, and to look for salvation by him, he must needs have salvation possible to all; for who is bound to seek after that which is impossible? certainly it were a mocking of men to bid them do so. And such as deny, that by the death of Christ salvation is made possible to all men, do most blasphemously make God mock the world, in giving his servants a commission to preach the gospel of salvation unto all, while he hath before decreed that it shall not be possible for them to receive it. Would not this make the Lord to send forth his servants with a lie in their mouth, (which were blasphemous to think) commanding them to bid all and every one believe that Christ died for them, and had purchased life and salvation; whereas it is no such thing, according to the forementioned doctrine. But seeing Christ, after he arose and perfected the work of our redemption, gave a commission to preach repentance, remission of sins, and salvation to all, it is manifest that he died for all. For He that hath commissioned his servants thus to preach is a God of truth, and no mocker of poor mankind; neither doth he require of any man that which is simply impossible for him to do: for that no man is bound to do that which is impossible, is a principle of truth engraven in every man's mind. And seeing he is both a righteous and merciful God, it cannot at all stand, either with his justice or mercy, to bid such men repent or believe, to whom it is impossible. Moreover, if we regard the testimony of the scripture in this matter, where there is not one scripture, that I know of, which affirmeth, Christ not to die for all, there are divers that positively and expressly assert He did; as 1 Tim. ii. 1, 3, 4, 6. "I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men, &c. for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." Except we will have the apostle here to assert quite another thing than he intended, there can be nothing more plain to confirm what we have asserted. And this scripture doth well answer to that manner of arguing which we have hitherto used; for first, the apostle here recommends them to pray for all men; and to obviate such an objection, as if he had said with our adversaries, Christ prayed not for the world, neither willeth he us to pray for all; because he willeth not that all should be saved, but hath ordained many to be damned, that he might shew forth his justice in them; he obviates, I say, such an objection, telling them, that it is good and acceptable in the sight of God, who will have all men to be saved. Those for whom our Saviour gave himself a ransom, to such salvation is possible: But our Saviour gave himself a ransom for all: This is very positively affirmed, Heb. ii. 9. in these words, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour, that he by the grace of God might taste death for every man." He that will but open his eyes, may see this truth here asserted: if he tasted death for every man, then certainly there is no man for whom he did not taste death; then there is no man who may not be made a sharer of the benefit of it: for he came not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved, John iii. 17. He came not to judge the world, but to save the world, John xii. 47. And as the apostle Paul, in the words above-cited, doth assert affirmatively, That God willeth the salvation of all, so doth the apostle Peter assert negatively, That he willeth not the perishing of any. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Pet. iii. 9. And this is correspondent to that of the prophet Ezekiel, xxxiii. 11. "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live." This doctrine is abundantly confirmed by that of the apostle, 1 John ii. 1, 2. "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." This might also be proved from many more scripture testimonies, if it were at this season needful. All the fathers, so called, and doctors of the church, for the first four centuries, preached this doctrine; according to which they boldly held forth the gospel of Christ and efficacy of his death; inviting and intreating the heathens to come and be partakers of the benefits of it, shewing them how there was a door open for them all to be saved through Jesus Christ; not telling them that God had predestinated any of them to damnation, or had made salvation impossible to them, by withholding power and grace, necessary to believe, from them. It falls out then, that as darkness, and the great apostacy, came not upon the Christian world all at once, but by several degrees, one thing making way for another; until that thick and gross veil came to be overspread, wherewith the nations were so blindly covered, from the seventh and eighth, until the sixteenth century; even as the darkness of the night comes not upon the outward creation at once, but by degrees, according as the sun declines in each horizon; so neither did that full and clear light and knowledge of the glorious dispensation of the gospel of Christ appear all at once; the work of the first witnesses being more to testify against and discover the abuses of the apostacy, than to establish the truth in purity. Therefore the Lord God, who as he seeth |