The Death of Death in the Death of Christ

If thou intendest to go any farther, I would entreat thee to stay here a little. If thou art, as many in this pretending age, a sign or title gazer, — and comest into books as Cato into the theatre, to go out again, — thou hast had thy entertainment; farewell. With him that resolves a serious view of the following discourse, and really desireth satisfaction from the word and christian reason, about the great things contained therein, — I desire a few words in the portal. Divers things there are, of no small consideyation to the business we have in hand, which I am persuaded thou canst not be unacquainted with, and therefore I will not trouble thee with a needless repetition of them.

I shall only crave thy leave, to preface a little to the point in hand, and my present undertaking therein, with the result of some of my thoughts concerning the whole, after a more than seven years serious inquiry, (bottomed hope, upon the strength of Christ, and guided by his spirit,) into the mind of God about these things, with a serious perusal of all which I could attain that the wet of man, in

ormer or latter days, hath published in opposition to the truth which I desire (according to the measure of the gift received) here to assert. Some things, then, as to the chief point in hand, I would desire the Reader to observe: As, Ist. That the assertion of Universal Redemption, or the general ransom, so as to make it in the least measure beneficial for the end intended, goes not alone. Election of free grace, as the fountain of all following dispensations,

all discriminating purposes of the Almighty, depending on his own good pleasure and w//; must be removed out of the way.’ Hence those who would for the present, iv THE AUTHOR’S PREFACE.

(Populo ut placerent quas fecére fabulas ) desirously retain some show of asserting the /zberty of eternally distinguishing free-grace, do themselves utterly raze, in respect of any fruit or profitable issue, the whole zmaginary fabric of general redemption, which they had before erected. Some* of these make the decree of election to be antecedaneous to the death of Christ, (as themselves absurdly speak,) or the decree of the death of Christ: then frame a two-fold election; one, of some to be the sons, the other of the rest, to be servants. But this election of some to be servants, the Scripture calls reprobation; and speaks of it as the issue of hatred, or a purpose of rejection, Rom. ix. 11,-12. To bea servant, in opposition to children and their /éberty, 1s as high a curse as can be expressed, Gen. ‘1x..25, Is this Secripture-election? Besides, if Christ died to bring those he died for unto the adoption and in-. |heritance-of children, what good could possibly redound ’ {to them thereby, who were predestinated before to be ionly servants?

Otherst make a general conditionate decree of redempzion, to be antecedaneous to electzon, which they assert to be the first discriminating purpose concerning the son of men and to depend on the alone good pleasure of God: that any others shall partake of the death of Christ or the fruits thereof, either unto grace or glory, but only those persons so elected, that they deny. Cuz bono now? to what purpose serves the general ransom? but only to assert, that Almighty God would have the precious blood of his dear Son poured out, for innumerable souw/s whom he will not have to share in any drop thereof: and so, in respect of them, to be spilt in vain; or else to be shed for them, only that they might be the deeper damned. This fountain then of free-grace, this foundation of the new co-

venant, this bottom of all gospel-dispensations, this fruitful womb of all eternally distinguishing mercies, the purpose of God according to electzon, must be opposed, slighted, blasphemed; that the figment of the sons of men may not appear to be truncus ficulnus, inutile lignum, an unprofitable stock; and all the thoughts of the Most High, differ-

‘TOL Universality of Free-grace. - -F Camero. Amirald. &c.

THE AUTHOR’S PREFACE. Vv

encing between man and man, must be made to take occasion, say some, to be caused, say others, by their holy selfspiritual endeavours: gratum opus agricolis, a savory sacrifice to the Roman Belus; a sacred orgie to the long bewailed manes of St. Pelagius.

And here, (2d/y,) Free-will, amor et delicie humani generis, corrupted nature’s deformed darling, the Pallas or beloved se/f-conception of darkened minds, finds open hearts and arms, for its adulterous embraces;. yea, the die being cast, and Rudbico passed over, eo devenere futa ecclesiz, that having opposed the free distinguishing grace of God, as the sole sworn enemy thereof, it advanceth itself, (oran inbred native ability in every one, to embrace a portion of generally exposed mercy) under the name of free-grace. Tantane vos tenuit generis fiducta vestri? This, this is Universalists free-grace, which, in the Scripture-phrase, is cursed corrupted nature: neither can it otherways be. A general ransom without free-will, is but phantasie inutile pondus, a burdensome phansy: the merié of the death of Christ being to them as an o7ntment in a box, that hath neither vzrtwe nor power to act or reach out its own application unto particulars, being only set out in the gospel to the view of all, that those who will, by their — own strength, lay hold on it and apply it to themselves, may be healed. Hence is the dear esteem and high valuation, which this old idol free-will hath attained in these days; being so useful to the general ransom, that it cannot live a day without it. Should it pass for trwe what the Scripture affirms, viz. that we are by nature dead in tres- passes and sins, there would not be left of the general ransom, a sherd to take fire from the hearth: like the wood of the vine, it would not yield a pin to hang a garment upon: all which you shall find fully declared, in the ensuing treatise. But here, as though all the undertakings and Babylonish attempts of the old Pelagians, with their varnished offspring the late Arminians, were slight and easy, I shall show you greater abominations than these, and further discoveries of the zmagery of the hearts of the sons of men..

In pursuance of this persuasion of universal redemptzon, not a few have arrived (whither it naturally leads them)

A2 x,
vi THE AUTHOR’S PREFACH.

to deny the satisfaction and merit of Christ. Witness P. H. who not being able to untie, ventured boldly to cat this Gordian knot; but so as to make both ends of the chain useless. To the guestion, Whether Christ died for all men or not? he answers, that he died neither for all, nor any, so as to purchase life and salvation for them. ‘Gray novos nog buyer epxoe dddvrav; Shall cursed Socinzanism be worded into a glorious discovery of free grace? Ask now for proofs of this assertion, as you might justly expect Achi/- lean arguments from those who delight axuyra xsweiv, to throw down such foundations, (as shall put all the righteous in the world to a loss thereby;) Prajicit ampullas et sesquipedalia verba; tnépoyxa matarntoe, great swelling words of vanity, drummy expressions, a noise from emptiness, (the usual language of men, who know not what they speak, nor whereof do they affirm,) is all that is produced: such contemptible products have our tympanous mountains. Poor creatures, whose souls are merchandized by the painted faces of novelty and vanity; whilst these Foabs salute you with the Asses of free grace, you see not the sword that is in.their hands, whereby they smite you under the //th rib, in the very heart-blood of faith and all Christian consolation. It seems our blessed Redeemer’s deep humiliation, in bearing the chastisement of our peace and the punzshment of our transgressions, being made a curse and stn, deserted under wrath and the. power of death, procuring redemption and the remission of sins through the effusion of his blood, offering himself up a sacrifice to God to make reconciliation and ‘purchase an atonement; his pursuing this undertaking with continued intercession in the holest of holies, with all the henefits of his mediatorship; do no way procure either life and salvation, or remission of sins; but only serve to declare, that we are not indeed what his word affirms we are, viz. cursed, guilty, defiled, and only not actually cast into hell. Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a@ diss? See this at large confuted, Book 3. Now this last assertion throughly fancied, hath opened a door and given an zet to all those pretended hezehts, and new-named glorious attainments, which have metamorphosed the person and mediation of Christ, into an

Keep reading