free-gift came upon all men to juftification of life, ver. 18. That in the fame epistle, in which it is faid, Chrift bore the fins of many; it is expressly faid, he tafted death for every man. That the fame Scripture which faith, Chrift gave his life a ransom for many; fays also, that he gave himself a ransom for all. And laftly, that he who faid, this is my blood which is fhed for many, for the remiffion of fins; faid alfo, for that very reason, drink ye all of it; for it was fhed for you for the remiffion of fins. Since therefore all men certainly are many, though many are not neceffarily all, fince what is in fome few places faid of many, is not only in more, but in the fame places faid of all; it is certain that Chrift cannot be faid to die for many exclufively of all, but only that he died for many in a sense confiftent with his dying for all men. And as the words of the prophet Daniel, that many shall arife from the dead, do not contra. dict the truth of those manifold affertions of the New Testament, that all men fhall arife: and the words of the Apostle, that in Adam many died, and many were made finners; do not thwart the words of the fame Apoftle, faying, in the fame place, that in Adam all men died, and were made finners: fo neither can those words, Chrift died for many, contradict the truth of those more numerous expreffions, that he died for all.

Obj. 2. Chrift is faid to lay down his life for his fheep, John x. 15. For his friends, who do his commandments, John xv, 13, 14. For his church, Eph. ii. 26. But all are not his sheep, all are not of his church, all do not fhew themselves his friends by their obedience; therefore he died not for all.

Anfw. 1. In none of these places is it faid that Christ died only for his fheep, for his friends, or for his church; and therefore none of them fay any thing in contradiction to our affertion. I therefore thus retort the argument, he that died for his friends, and for his enemies, died for all; but Chrift died for his friends, and for his enemies; for when we were enemies Chrift died for us; ergo, he died for all. Again, he that died for the church of God, and for the unrighteous, that he might bring them to the church of God, died for all; but Christ died

for the church of God, and for the unrighteous that he might bring them to the church; for the Just died for the unjust that he might bring us to God; ergo, he died for all.

Anfw. 2. Though it be certain that Chrift died intentionally for all, i. e. defigning the benefits of his paffion for them, upon their performance of the conditions of the New Covenant; yet is it also true that he eventually died only for his sheep and friends, because they only perform the conditions of the New Covenant; and therefore to them only can this righteous Judge at laft affign the bleffings promifed in that Covenant.

II. But to omit the viewing all these texts apart, it will be easy to difcern in them many circumstances which plainly fhew they cannot be interpreted in that reftrained fenfe which others put upon them. For,

1. When St. Paul declares, that as by the offence of one, judg ment came upon all men to condemnation, fo by the righteoufness of one, the free-gift came upon all men to juftification, it is apparent that the Apostle is comparing the condemnation which was procured by the fin of Adam, with the free-gift of justification procured by the second Adam, as to the extent of persons concerned in both; for as by the one, faith he, many died, and many were made finners: fo by the other, many were made righteous, and grace abounded unto many; as by the one, condemnation came upon all; fo by the other, juftification of life was procured for all men; and fo God was in and through Chrift reconciling the world unto himself. Now to affert that many in the first clause, respecting the fruit of Adam's fin, fignifies truly many; and in the fecond, refpecting the fruit of Chrift's righteousness, but a few that all men in the first clause is to be taken in the utmost latitude; but the fame word in the latter claufe of the fame verse, doth only fignify all the Elect, which are comparatively but a few, is neither agreeable to reafon, nor to the scope of the Apostle; who before had faid, that all men had finned, and fallen fhort of the glory of God: being juflified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jefus Chrift. And hence

arifeth

arifeth a fecond obfervation, viz. that the Apostle is here comparing the effects of fin, as to condemnation, with the effect of the grace of God, as to our juftification, faying, that as by fin, the judgment came upon all men to condemnation; fo by the righteoufness of one, the grace of God came upon all men to juftification of life; that as fin reigned unto death, fo grace might reign by juftification to eternal life, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Now the grace of this comparison is wholly loft, if fin reigned over all men without exception to death and condemnation; but grace reigned only over a few to procure for them the means of juftification to life.

III. 2. When the Apostle adds, the love of Chrift conftrains us (thus to perfuade men to believe in Chrift) because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead; the words, all were dead, must certainly be taken in their greatest latitude; wherefore the words preceding, if Chrift died for all, from which they are an inference, muft alfo be taken in the fame extent. To say here that Chrift died for fome only of all nations, is to exempt all others of those nations from living to Chrift upon this account; that they of them who live might not live to themselves, is to fuppofe that fome of the Elect might live not to Chrift, but to themselves; which cannot truly be imagined of the Elect of God.

IV. 3. When the Apoftle faith, 1 Tim. ii. 1, I exhort therefore (in pursuance of Chrift's coming to fave finners, chap. i. 15.) first, that fupplications and prayers, and interceffions, and giving of thanks be made for all men (particularly) for Kings, and all that are in authority, &c. he muft exhort them not only to pray for fome men, fome Kings, and fome in authority. in all nations; for then we could not know how to observe this precept, because we could not know what men or Rulers we were to pray for, and what not. When then he adds, by way of reason, for this is good and acceptable in the fight of God, who will have all men to be faved: this reason why we are to pray for all men in general, and for all Rulers in particular, must either be a false and unconcluding reason, or must import thus

much :

much he would have all men, and all Rulers to be faved, whom he would have us pray for. Moreover that God would have all men to be faved the Apostle proves,

1. Because he is the God of all, the common Father and Creator of all men, ver. 4. Eph. iv. 6. Now he is the God of all men in particular, and fo this argument muft fhew he would have all men in particular to be faved. And as the Apostle argues for God's readiness to justify the Gentiles by faith, as freely as the Jews, by afking, Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not alfo of the Gentiles? and by answering that there is, as to this, no difference betwixt them; the fame God being rich unto all that call upon him; for whofoever shall call upon the name of the Lord fhall be faved: fo may we argue in this cafe by a like enquiry, Is he the God of a fmall remnant of the Jews and Gentiles only? Is he not the Saviour of them all? chap. iv. 10.

2. He would have all men to be faved, faith the Apostle; for there is one Mediator betwixt God and man, the man Chrift Jefus, who gave himself a ransom for all. Now if the argument from one God was defigned to prove he was the God of all men in particular, the argument from one Mediator must alfo prove Chrift the Mediator of all men in particular; and confequently that he gave himself a ransom for all men in particular. Hence is he fo emphatically ftiled, the man Chrift Jefus, to intimate to us, that having taken upon himself the nature common to us all, to fit him for this office, he must design it for the good of all who were partakers of that nature. For as he was a man, he furely was endued with the best of human affections, univerful charity, which would excite him to promote the welfare of all. As he was a man, he was subject to the common law of humanity, which obliges us to endeavour the common benefit of men, and that good-will which he requires us to bear to all men indifferently good and bad, friends and enemies, he questionless did bear himself in the highest degree; and therefore doubtlefs in his fufferings for men which are acknowledged to be fufficient for all, he had regard to the good of all.

[To be continued.]

SERMON

II. 20.

SER MON

On EPHESIANS iv. 16.

[Concluded from page 15.]

XXXI.

WE proceed now to the fecond point. What is

are called?

it to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we

It should always be remembered, that the word walk in the language of the Apoftle, is of a very extenfive fignification. It includes all our inward and outward motions, all our thoughts, and words, and actions. It takes in, not only every thing we do, but every thing we either speak or think. It is therefore no fmall thing, to walk in this sense of the word, worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called: to think, fpeak and act, in every inftance in a manner worthy of our Chriftian Calling.

21. We are called to walk, first, with all lowliness: to have that mind in us, which was alfo in Chrift Jefus, not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, to be little, and poor, and mean, and vile in our own eyes: to know ourselves as also we are known by Him to whom all hearts are open; to be deeply fenfible pf our own unworthiness, of the univerfal depravity of our nature, (in which dwelleth no good thing) prone to all evil, averse to all good, infomuch that we are not only fick, but dead in trefpaffes and fins, till God breathes upon the dry bones, and creates life by the fruit of his lips. And fuppofe this is done, suppose he has now quickened us, infusing life into our dead fouls: yet how much of the carnal mind remains? How prone is our heart ftill to depart from the living God? What a tendency to fin remains in our heart, although we know our paft fins are forgiven? And how much fin, in fpite of all our endeavours, cleaves both to our words and

actions?