done, First, by Vossius, in his Historia Pelagiana," where he asserts and proves, 1. That Veteris hæc ecclesiæ sententia fuit, velle Deum conversionem et salutem omnium; the doctrine of the ancient church was this, that God would have all men to be converted and saved.' 2. That Veteris ecclesiæ judicium fuit, Christum pro culpâ universali hominibus providisse et remedio universali, solvendo kúrpov infiniti pretii, ne ejus defectu periret quisquam;'' this was the judgment of the ancient church, that Christ had provided for the fault of all men by an universal remedy, viz, by paying a price of infinite value, lest any one should perish through the defect of it.' k Secondly. This is more copiously done by Mr. Dally, by producing the testimonies of the ancients from the first to the twelfth century, and concluding thus, Certè qui Christum pro solis electis mortuum absolutè dixerit octo prioribus christianismi seculis invenio neminem; 'Certainly I find not one man who, during the eight first ages of christianity, ever said expressly, that Christ died only for the elect.' CHAP. VII. I PROCEED, LASTLY, to consider the objections made from rational accounts against this doctrine, viz. I. OBJECTION FIRST. "It is not reasonable to believe, that Christ should die in vain with respect to any; whereas if he had died for all, he must have died in vain with respect to the greatest part of mankind." ANSWER. To this the answer is apparent, it being evident that all those acts of divine grace whose effect depends upon the will of man, or which are offered to him upon conditions which he may perform or not, are, through man's wickedness, too oft done and offered in vain, as that imports their being done and offered without any benefit man receiveth by them: for instance, how do both Moses and the Psalmist magnify the divine goodness in giving i L. 7. Th. 5. a p. 656 ad p. 670. a Deuteronomy iv. 6, 7, 8. b Psalm cxlvii. 19, 20, h Lib. 7. Thes. ii. from p. 633 to p. 656. * Apol. from p. 753 to 944. his word, and making known his statutes and his ordinances to Israel? And yet the prophet Jeremy introduceth God complaining thus of them who knew not the judgments and the law of the Lord, 'in vain hath he made it, the pen of the scribe is in vain." Again, are not God's fatherly corrections designed for the good of his children, to teach them wisdom by the rod,' and obedience by the things they suffer, and make them say, "I have born correction, I will not offend any more?" And yet when they had lost this good effect upon them, doth not God say 'in vain have I smitten them, they have refused to receive correction? Was not the publication of the gospel to the gentiles the greatest blessing that ever God vouchsafed to them? And yet doth not the apostle of the Gentiles say to the Galatians thus, 'I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain?' Does he not write to the Thessalonians thus, I sent to know your state, lest the tempter should have tempted you, and our labour be in vain? Does he not exhort the Philippians to hold fast the word of life, that he might rejoice that he had not run in vain, nor laboured in vain? What an infinite mercy was it that "the grace of God which brings salvation had appeared to all men!" And yet doth not the apostle earnestly beseech the Corinthians that they would not receive this grace of God in vain ?k And doth not this signify his fears they might do so? And to come to the instance of this objection, when the evangelical prophet foretells of Christ's being sent to the stubborn Jews, doth he not introduce him thus complaining, 'I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength in vain?" Doth not St. Paul declare to his Galatians, that if they yet sought to be justified by the law, 'Christ should profit them nothing; he was become of none effect to them, and so, as to them, he was dead in vain? To say indeed. "Christ died to no purpose, or to no good end," is a great absurdity; but to say "he died in vain, eventually, for them who will not repent or believe in him," is none at all. i II. OBJECTION SECOND. It is objected that "a general will that all men should be saved, carries some marks of imper d Proverbs xxvi. 19. Micah vi. 9. e Job xxxiv. 31. f Jeremiah ii, 30. c Jeremiah viii. 8. g Galatians iv. 11. h 1 Thessalonians ii. 5. Isaiah xlix. 4. ¿ Philippians ii. 16. k 2 Corinthians vi. 1. fection in it, as representing God wishing somewhat which he would not accomplish; whereas infinite perfection can wish nothing but what it can execute, and if it be fit for him to wish it, it it must be fit for him to execute it." ANSWER. This objection advances a metaphysical nicety against the clearest revelations of the holy scripture; for if God wills, or, in the scripture import, wisheth nothing but what he also doth think fit to execute, what is the meaning of all these passionate expressions?— Oh that my people had hearkened to me, and Israel had walked in my ways! even that Israel, whom, for rejecting me, I have now given up to her own heart's lusts? "O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments;? Oh that they were wise, that they would consider their latter end,' saith God to the same obstinate revolting people. And after such serious wishes, can any one be tempted to believe, God did not seriously desire it should be otherwise with them, and even do all that it was fit for him to do, in order that it might be otherwise? Why else doth he enquire, What could I have done more to make my vineyard fruitful? When our Saviour speaks thus to the Jews, 'How oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings!' and says, 'Oh that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that do belong to thy peace,' weeping at her neglect to do so; can we reasonably doubt the truth or the sincerity of his desire for their good, though through their infidelity and perverseness he did not procure it? Or will any body say, "he did not all that on his part was fitting to be done towards their reformation?" 2. Let us consider the dreadful consequences of this assertion, that "God wills not what he sees not fit to execute," they being plainly these; that God is not willing any should obey his will who doth not obey it; that he is not unwilling any one should sin, whom he restrains not from it; and that he is not willing any one should repent, who doth not repent; that when they still continue, and even die in their impenitency, they do nothing contrary to the will of God, because they do nothing he saw fit to hinder: And can there be any force in an objection of which these are the plain but dreadful consequences? Like to this, o Psalm lxxxi. 12, 13. Isaiah xlviii, 18. q Deuteronomy xxxii. 29. r Isaiah v. 4. III. OBJECTION THIRD. Is that objection, that "if Christ died for all men, and all are not saved, the wisdom of God must be defective and imperfect; for to fall short of what a man intends, argues a deficiency in point of wisdom.” ANSWER. If this be so, then every prince that cannot make his subjects as good as he intends they should be, every parent that cannot make his children so, every good master that cannot prevail with his servants to be so, every man that cannot persuade his friend or neighbour to be as good as he would have him to be, and every schoolmaster who cannot make his scholar as learned as he intends he should be, must be deficient in wisdom: which yet it is. ridiculous to affirm, seeing to make a person who hath a freedom over his own will, to be what any good and wise man doth intend he should be, depends not wholly on his wisdom or persuasion, but on the disposition and inclination of him with whom he hath to do, to hearken to, and to comply with, his persuasions. The supposition therefore of this objection must be false: And, 2. If a God perfect in wisdom can intend nothing but what he actually doth compass and perform, it plainly follows that he intended not by his prohibition of sin that any person should avoid or abstain from it, who doth not actually do so: or by his exhortations to repentance, holiness, obedience, that any person should repent, be holy, or obedient, who is not actually so. And why then doth he blame, or punish them, for that iniquity he never did intend they should avoid, or for the want of that repentance and obedience he never did intend they should perform? Like to this is a IV. FOURTH QBJECTION, which saith, "if Christ died for all men, and all men are not saved, then is not God omnipotent, since he could not apply to them that benefit which he was willing should be procured for them." ANSWER FIRST. When it is said in scripture that "God could not do this or that," this doth not signify a want of power in him to do it, but a want of will and a perverseness or evil disposition in others obstructing his kind influences on, or intentions towards, them. As when God enquires, What could I have done more for my vineyard which I have not done? When he Isaiah V1 4. น saith, though Moses and Samuel stood before me, my mind could not be towards this people; and the prophet, that the Lord could no longer forbear, because of their abominations; as then Christ could do no mighty works' in his own country, because of their unbelief; so here the benefit which by the death of Christ is procured for all who do believe in him, cannot by God be applied to men obstinately rejecting Christ, and refusing to own him as their Saviour, because of their unbelief. ANSWER SECOND. According to this way of arguing, it follows, that if all men do not actually enjoy what God is willing they should have, or be partakers of all the benefits conditionally intended by him, or by his Son procured for them, he cannot be omnipotent; and why then doth he say, 'We would have healed Babylon, and she would not be healed;* I would have purged Jerusalem, but she would not be purged? Why doth Christ say unto the same Jerusalem, "How oft would I have gathered thy children as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not?" In a word, do all men actually enjoy those blessings temporal, spiritual, or eternal, which God conditionally hath promised, or did ever promise, to them? Or is it for want of ability in God that they do not enjoy them, or want of will in God that they should have what he thus promiseth? Or is it not wholly from the unwillingness of men, to perform the conditions upon which only they are promised? How oft doth God declare, that "he sent to them all his servants the prophets, rising up early, and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other Gods, and you shall dwell in the land which I have given you, and I will do you no hurt?" This he did, (1.) Because he had compassion on his people,'a 'a and was very unwilling they should perish in their sins. (2.) This he did with the greatest solicitude and care, to prevent their ruin, as that phrase, “he sent his prophets rising up early, and sending them," plainly imports. (3.) The reason why all these exhortations of God by his prophets became ineffectual, and had not the desired effect, was this; because "they inclined not the ear, and hearkened not to his word," but said, 'We will walk ་ t Jeremiah xv. 1. y Ezekiel xxiv. 13 u Chapter xliv. 22. w Mark vi, 5, 6. Jeremiah li. 9. * Jeremiah xxxy, 15, Chapter xXY, 5. 6. a 2 Chronicles xxxvi. 15, 16 |