Part 39

(2.) We must farther distinguish between God’s commanding all that sit under the sound of the gospel to believe in Christ; and his giving them ground to expect salvation, before they believe in him. Faith and repentance may be asserted to be duties incumbent on all, and demanded of them, when, at the same time, it doth not follow that all are given to expect salvation, upon the bare declaration that they are so. Accordingly the command and encouragement is to be considered in this order; first, as it respects our obligation to believe; and then, as it respects our hope of salvation; and neither the former nor the latter of these does, in the least, infer that God intended to save all mankind, or gave them ground to expect salvation, who do not believe in Christ.

(3.) As to what is farther suggested, concerning salvation’s being promised on such conditions, as are known, both by God and man, to be impossible, the only answer that need be given to this, is, that though _with men this is impossible, yet with God all things are possible_, Matt. xix. 26. When we consider faith and repentance, as conditions connected with salvation, or as evincing our right to claim an interest in Christ, and that salvation, which is purchased by him, in which sense, as was before observed, we do not oppose their being called conditions thereof, by those who are tenacious of that mode of speaking;[180] and we do not call them impossible conditions, any otherwise than as they are so, without the powerful energy of the Holy Spirit; we cannot think that our asserting, that it is impossible that all mankind should thus repent and believe, is a doctrine contrary to scripture, which gives us ground to conclude, that all men shall not be saved, and consequently that all shall not _believe to the saving of the soul_. And, when we consider the impossibility thereof, we do not suppose that God has given all mankind ground to expect this saving faith, upon which the blasphemous suggestion, relating to his deluding men, is founded; it is enough for us to say, that God has not told any one, who attends on his ordinances, in hope of obtaining this grace, that he will not give him faith; and more than this need not be desired by persons to induce them to perform this duty, while praying and waiting for the happy event thereof, to wit, our obtaining these graces, and so being enabled to conclude that Christ has died for us.

4. If all the absurdities before mentioned will not take place to overthrow the doctrine of particular redemption, there is another argument, which they, who oppose it, conclude to be unanswerable, namely, that it does not conduce so much to advance the grace of God, as to assert that Christ died for all men, inasmuch as more are included herein, as the objects of divine favour, therefore God is hereby more glorified.

To this it may be replied, that it does not tend to advance the divine perfections, to suppose that God designed to save any that shall perish, for that would be to argue, as has been before considered, that the purpose of God, with respect to the salvation of many, is frustrated. But, since the stress of the argument is laid on the display of the glory of divine grace; that does not so much consist in the extent of the favour, with respect to a greater number of persons, as it does in its being free and undeserved, and tending, for this reason, to lay the highest obligation on those who are concerned herein, which is the most known sense of the word _grace_.

But inasmuch as it will be objected, that this is only a criticism, respecting the sense of a word, it may be farther replied to it, that if the grace, or goodness of God, be more magnified by universal, than particular redemption, as including more, who are the objects thereof, the same method of reasoning would hold good, and they might as well attempt to prove, that there must be an universal salvation of mankind; for that would be a greater display of divine goodness, than for God only to save a few; and it would be yet more eminently displayed, had he not only saved all mankind, but fallen angels. Shall the goodness of God be pretended to be reflected on, because he does not extend it to all that might have been the objects thereof, had he pleased? Has he not a right to do what he will with his own? And may not his favour be communicated in a discriminating way, whereby it will be more advanced and adored, by those who are the objects thereof, without our taking occasion from thence to reply against him, or say, what dost thou?

And to this it may be added, that they, who make use of this method of reasoning, ought to consider that it tends as much to militate against the doctrine they maintain, namely, that God hath put all mankind into a salvable state, or that Christ, by his death, procured a possibility of salvation for all; which, according to their argument, is not so great a display of the divine goodness, as though God had actually saved all mankind, which he might have done; for he might have given repentance and remission of sins to all, as well as sent his Son to die for all; therefore, upon this head of argument, universal redemption cannot be defended, without asserting universal salvation. Thus concerning those absurdities which are pretended to be fastened on the doctrine of particular redemption; we proceed to consider the last and principal argument that is generally brought against it, namely,

5. That it is contrary to the express words of scripture; and some speak with so much assurance, as though there were not one word in scripture, intimating, that our Lord died only for a few, or only for the elect;[181] though others will own, that there are some scriptures that assert particular redemption, but that these are but few; and therefore the doctrine of universal redemption must be aquiesced in, as being maintained by a far greater number of scriptures: but, in answer to this, let it be considered, that it is not the number of scriptures, brought in defence of either side of the question, that will give any great advantage to the cause they maintain, unless it could be made appear that they understood them in the true and genuine sense of the Holy Ghost therein: but this is not to be passed over, without a farther enquiry into the sense thereof, which we shall do, and endeavour to prove that it does not overthrow the doctrine we have been maintaining, how much soever the mode of expression may seem to oppose it; and, in order hereunto, we shall first consider in what sense _all_, _all men_, _the world_, _all the world_, and such-like words are taken in scripture, as well as in common modes of speaking, in those matters that do not immediately relate to the subject of universal redemption; and then we may, without much difficulty, apply the same limitations to the like manner of speaking, which we find in those scriptures which are brought for the proof of universal redemption. Here we are to enquire into the meaning of those words that are used, which seem to denote the universality of the subject spoken of, when nothing less is intended thereby, in various instances, which have no immediate reference to the doctrine of redemption. And,

(1.) As to the word _all_. It is certain, that it is often used when every individual is not intended thereby: thus we read in Exod. ix. 6. that _all the cattle of Egypt died_, when the plague of murrain was inflicted on the beasts; whereas it is said, in the following words, that _none of the cattle of the children of Israel died_; and, from ver. 3. it appears that none of the _Egyptians’ cattle died_, save those in _the field_; and it is plain, that there was a great number of cattle that died not, which were reserved to be cut off by a following plague, _viz._ that _of hail_, in ver. 19. Moreover, it is said, in ver. 25. that _the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field_; yet we read, in chap. x. 5. of the locusts _eating the residue of that which escaped, and remained unto them from the hail_.

Again, we read, in Exod. xxxii. 3. that _all the people brake off the golden ear-rings which were in their ears_, of which Aaron made the calf, which they worshipped; whereas it is not probable that all wore ear-rings; and it is certain, that all did not join with them, who committed idolatry herein; for the apostle intimates as much, when he speaks of _some of them as being idolaters_, who _sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play_, 1 Cor. x. 7. And some conclude, that those of the tribe of Levi, who _gathered themselves unto Moses_, and joined with him in executing the vengeance of God on the idolaters, are said to be _on the Lord’s side_; not barely because they repented of their idolatry, but because they did not join with the rest in it; and, if this be the sense of the text, yet it does not appear that they were all exempted from the charge of idolatry, though it be said, that _all the sons of Levi were gathered to him_; for we read, in ver. 29. of _every man’s slaying his son, and his brother_; and, in Deut. xxxiii. 9. it is said, on this occasion, that _they did not know their fathers, nor their children_, that is, they did not spare them; therefore some of that, as well as the other tribes, joined in the idolatry, though they were all gathered to Moses, as being on the Lord’s side.

Again, we read, in Zeph. ii. 14. where the prophet speaks concerning _God’s destroying Syria_, and _making Nineveh desolate_, that _all the beasts of the nations shall lodge in the upper lintels of it_; by which he intends that those beasts, that generally lodge in the wilderness, or in places remote from cities, such as the _cormorant and bittern_, &c. should take up their residence in those places, which were formerly inhabited by the Ninevites; therefore _all the beasts_ cannot be supposed to signify all that were in all parts of the world.

Again, the prophet Isaiah, in chap. ii. 2. when speaking of the multitude which should _come to the mountain of the Lord’s house_, which he expresses by _all nations coming to it_, explains what is meant by _all nations coming to it_, in the following verse, namely, that _many people should say, Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord_; and the prophet Micah, referring to the same thing, says, in chap. iv. 2. that _many nations shall say, Let us go up to it_, as containing a prediction of what was to be fulfilled in the gospel-day, in those that, out of various nations, adhered to the true religion.

Again, it is said, in 1 Chron. xiv. 17. that the _fame of David went forth into all the lands_, which cannot be meant of those which were far remote, but those that were round about Judea.

Moreover, it is said, in Matt. iii. 5, 6. that _Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, went out to John, and were baptized of him_; which cannot be understood in any other sense, but that a great number of them went out to him for that purpose. And when it is said, in Matt. xxi. 26. that _all men held John as a prophet_, it is not to be supposed that the Scribes and Pharisees, and many others, who cast contempt on him, held him to be so; but that there were a great many who esteemed him as such. And when our Saviour says, in Matt. x. 22. _Ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake_, it is certain, that those that embraced Christianity are to be excluded out of their number who hated them. Again, when it is said, in Acts ii. 5. that _there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews of every nation under heaven_, it is not to be supposed that there were Jews residing in every nation, who resorted to Jerusalem; upon which occasion, a learned writer[182] puts this question, Were there any who resorted there from England or Scotland?

Again, we read, in John iii. 26. that John’s disciples came to him, complaining, that _Jesus baptized, and all men came unto him_; by which nothing more is to be understood, but that many, among the Jews attended on his ministry, which were, by far, the smaller part of that nation. By these, and many other scriptures, that might be brought to the same purpose, it appears, that the word _All_ sometimes denotes not every individual, but a part of mankind.

(2.) Let us now consider the sense in which we are to understand _the world_, or _all the world_; from whence it will appear, that only a small part of the world is intended thereby in many scriptures: thus the Pharisees said, upon the occasion of a number of the Jews following our Saviour, in John xi. 19. _The world is gone after him_. How small a part of the world was the Jewish nation? and how small a part of the Jewish nation attended on our Saviour’s ministry? yet this is called _the world_.

Again, it is said, in Luke ii. 1. _There went out a decree from Augustus, that all the world should be taxed_; by which nothing more is intended than those countries that were subject to the Roman empire; and, in Acts xvii. 26. it is said, that _these that have turned the world upside down, are come hither also_; which cannot be meant in any other sense, but those parts of the world where the apostles had exercised their ministry. And when the apostle tells the church, in Rom. i. 8. that _their faith was spoken of throughout the whole world_, he only means those other churches that were planted in several parts of the world. And, in Acts xi. 28. it is said, that _Agabus signified, by the Spirit, that there should be a great dearth, throughout all the world_; by which nothing is meant but all adjacent countries, which is to be taken in the same sense, as when it is said, in Gen. xli. 51. that _all countries came into Egypt to buy corn, because the famine was so sore in all lands_, that is, in the parts adjacent to Egypt: thus we have sufficient ground to conclude, that _all men_, _the world_, and _all the world_, is often taken for a small part of mankind.

But, that we may be a little more particular in considering the various limitations these words are subject to in scripture, as well as in our common modes of speaking, let it be observed,

_1st_, That sometimes nothing is intended by all _men_, but all sorts of men, without distinction of sex, nation, estate, quality, and condition, of men in the world: thus the apostle says, in 1 Cor. ix. 19. _I made myself servant to all, that I might gain the more_; this he explains in the following verses, as including men of all ranks and characters: _To the Jews, I became a Jew; to them that were under the law, as under the law; to them that were without the law, as without law; to the weak, I became weak: I became all things to all men, that by any means I might gain some_.

_2dly_, Sometimes the word All, or _the world_, is taken for the Gentiles, in opposition to the Jews; thus the apostle saith, in Rom. xi. 12. _Now if the fall of them_, viz. the Jews, _be the riches of the world_, that is, of the Gentiles, as he explains it in the following words; _And the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fulness?_ and in ver. 32. he saith, _God hath concluded all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all_.[183]

_3dly_, _The world_ is sometimes taken for those who do not believe, in opposition to the _church_: thus it is said, in Rev. xiii. 3, 4. _All the world wondered after the beast and they worshipped the dragon_; which is farther explained, in ver. 8. where it is said, that _all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life_; and in 1 John v. 19. it is said, _We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness_, or, as some render it,[184] _in the wicked one_, as being subject to Satan; but the church is exempted from that charge, notwithstanding the universality of this expression.

_4thly_, Sometimes the word All is limited by the nature of the thing spoken of, which is very easy to be understood, though not expressed: thus the apostle in Tit. ii. 9. exhorts _servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things_; which must be certainly understood as intending all things just, and not contrary to the laws of God, or the civil laws of the land, in which they live.

_5thly_, The word All is often used, not only in scripture, but in our common modes of speaking, to signify only those, who are the objects of that thing, which is done for them, and then the emphasis is laid on the action, or the person that performs it; as when we say, all malefactors under a sentence of death, are to be pardoned by the king; we mean nothing else by it, but that all, who are pardoned, do receive their pardon from him; or when we say, that virtue renders all men happy, and vice miserable; we mean, that all who are virtuous are happy, and all who are vicious miserable; not that virtue, abstracted from the exercise thereof, makes any happy, or vice miserable; in which case, the word all is not taken for every individual person, but only for those who are either good or bad: and this is agreeable to the scripture-mode of speaking; as when it is said, in Prov. xxiii. 21. _Drowsiness shall clothe a man_, or every man, _with rags_; or sloth reduces all to poverty; not all mankind, but all who are addicted to this vice.

Moreover, it is said, in Psal. cxlv. 14. _The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down_; which is not to be understood, as though God keeps all mankind from falling, or raises every individual person, that is bowed down, so as not to suffer him to sink under his burden; but that all who are upheld, or raised up, when bowed down, are made partakers of this privilege by the Lord alone.

Having shewn in what sense the word _All_, or _all the world_, is frequently used in scripture, when not applied to the doctrine of redemption; we shall now consider the application thereof unto it, whereby it may appear, that those scriptures, which are generally brought in defence of the doctrine of universal redemption, do not tend to support it, or overthrow the contrary doctrine that we are maintaining.

1. The first scripture, that is often referred to for that purpose, is 1 John ii. 2. in which it is said, concerning our Saviour, that _he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world_. For the understanding of which, we must consider, that it is more than probable that the apostle writes this epistle to the converted Jews, scattered through various countries in Asia, as Peter is said to do, 1 Pet. i. 1. and James, James i. 1. for which reason they are called general epistles; as likewise this of John is, inasmuch as they are not addressed to particular churches among the Gentiles, converted to the faith, as most of the apostle Paul’s are. Now, it is plain, that, in the scripture but now mentioned, when these believing Jews are given to understand, that Christ is _a propitiation for their sins, and not for their’s only, but for the sins of the whole world_; the meaning is, not for their sins only, who were Jews, but for the sins of the believing Gentiles, or those who were converted by the ministry of the apostle Paul, who is called _the apostle of the Gentiles_. This has been before considered to be the meaning of the word _world_ in many scriptures; and so the sense is, that the saving effects of Christ’s death redound to all who believe, throughout the world, whether Jews or Gentiles.

2. Another scripture generally brought to prove universal redemption, is, that in Heb. ii. 9. _That he_, to wit, Christ, _by the grace of God, should taste death for every man_. For the understanding of which, we must have recourse to the words immediately following, which are plainly an illustration thereof; accordingly they, for whom Christ tasted death, are styled _many sons_, who are to be _brought to glory_; and, in order thereunto, _Christ, the Captain of their salvation, was made perfect through sufferings_, which is an explication of his being _crowned with glory and honour, for the suffering of death_; and it plainly proves, that it was for these only that he tasted death, and that by _every man_, for whom he tasted it, is meant every one of his sons, or of those who are described, in ver. 11. as _sanctified_, and _whom he is not ashamed to call brethren_; and they are further styled, in ver. 13. _The children whom God hath given him_; so that this sense of the words being so agreeable to the context, which asserts the doctrine of particular redemption, it cannot reasonably be supposed that they are to be taken in a sense which has a tendency to overthrow it, or prove that Christ died equally and alike for all men.

3. Another scripture, brought for the same purpose, is 1 Cor. xv. 22. _As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive_. But let it be considered, that the apostle is not speaking directly concerning redemption in this text, but concerning the resurrection of the dead; and, if it be understood of a glorious resurrection unto eternal life, no one can suppose that every individual of mankind shall be made partaker of this blessing, which is also obvious, from what is said in the verse immediately following, where they who are said to be made alive in Christ, are described as such, whom he has a special propriety in, _Christ the first fruits, afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming_; and therefore the meaning is only this, that all of them, who shall be raised up in glory, shall obtain this privilege by Christ, whose resurrection was the first-fruits thereof.

I am sensible that the reason of the application of this scripture to prove universal redemption, is principally taken from the opposition that there seems to be between the death of all mankind in Adam, and the life which is obtained by Christ; and therefore they suppose, that the happiness, which we enjoy by him, is of equal extent with the misery we sustained by the fall of Adam: but, if this were the sense of the text, it must prove an universal salvation, and not barely the possibility thereof; since the apostle is speaking of a privilege that should be conferred in the end of time, and not of that which we enjoy under the gospel-dispensation; accordingly it does not, in the least, answer the end for which it is brought.

4. The next scripture, by which it is supposed that universal redemption may be defended, is that in Rom. v. 18. _As by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life_. For the understanding of which scripture, let it be considered, that the blessing, which is said to extend to all, is no less than justification of life, and not merely a possibility of attaining salvation; and, in the foregoing verse, they, who are interested in this privilege, are said to _receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness_, and _to reign in life by Jesus Christ_. Now certainly this privilege is too great to be applied to the whole world; and, indeed, that which the apostle, in this verse, considers, as being _upon all men unto justification of life_, he explains, when he says, _Many shall be made righteous_; therefore _this free gift, which came upon all men unto justification_, intends nothing else, but that a select number, who are said to be many, or the whole multitude of those who do, or shall believe, shall be made righteous.

_Object._ If it be objected to this sense of the text, that there is an opposition between that judgment which came by the offence of one, to wit, Adam, upon all men, unto condemnation, and that righteousness, which came upon all men, unto justification; and therefore all men must be taken in the same sense in both parts of the verse, and consequently must be extended to all the world.