The Last Objection, or Argument from Scripture, Answered
The last objection, or argument from Scripture,
answered..
I come in the next place, to the third and last argument drawn from the Scripture; wherewith the Arminians, and their (as to this point) successors, do strive to maintain their figment of universal redemption, and it is taken from such texts of Scripture, as seem to hold out the perishing of some of them for whom Christ died, and the fruitlessness of his blood in respect of divers for whom it was shed. On this theme, their wits are wonderfully luxuriant; and they are full of rhetorical strains, to set out the unsuccessfullness and fruitléssness.of the-blood of Christ,
in respect of the most for whom it was shed; with the perishing of bought, purged, reconciled sinners. Who ean but believe, that this persuasion tends to the Sain sole: tion of poor souls; whose strongest defence heth, in making vile the precious blood of. the Lamb; yea. trampling upon it, and esteeming it asa common thing? But friends, let me tell you, I am ‘persuaded it was. not so unvaluable’ in the eyes of his Father, as to cause it to be poured out in vain — in respect of any one soul. Yet, seeing we must be put to this defence, wherein we cannot but rejoice; it tending so evidently to the honour of our blessed” Saviour; let us consider what can be said by Christians (at. least in name) to enervate the efficacy of the blood-shedding, of the death of ax after whose name they desire to be called.
‘Thus then they argue, viz. “if Christ died for reprobates and those that perish, then he died for all and every one; for confessedly he died for the elect, and those that are saved, but he died for reprobates, and them: that perish; therefore, &e.”’
Answ. For the assumption, or second proposition of this argument, we shall do what we conceive was fit for all the elect of God to do, positively deny it; Sones the death of Christ, here said to be for them that perish, o be considered not in respect of its own internal worth and sufficiency, but as it was intended by the Father and Son in respect of them for whom he died,) we deny then (I say) that Christ, by the command of his Father, and with intention to make satisfaction for sins, did lay down his life for reprobates, and them that perish. 3
But this they pretend to prove from Rom. xiv. 15, 1 Cor. vill. 11. 2 Pet ii. 1. Heb. x. 29. Now that no such thing as is pretended, is proved from any of the places alleged, we shall show, by the consideration of a in the order they are laid down in.
1st, The first is Rom. xiv. 15. But if thy brother be grieved with thy. meat, then walkest thou not charitably; destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died.
Answ. Had we not experience of the nimbleness of our adversaries, in framing arguments for their cause, I should despair to find their conclusion pressed out of this place.
For what coherence or dependence, I beseech you, is:here -
to be discerned: the apostle exhorteth strong and sound
believers, to such a moderate use of Christian liberty, that
they do not grieve the spirit of the weak ones, that were believers also, (professors, all called saints, elect, believers, redeemed, and so in charity esteemed;) and so give them occasion of stumbling, and falling off from the gospel; ‘therefore Jesus Christ died for all. reprobates; even all those that never heard a word nor syllable of him, or the doctrine of the gospel? Must he not be very. quick-sighted, that can see the dependence of this inference on that exhortation of the apostle?: oe
But ye will say is it not affirmed, that he may perish for whom Christ died? nsw. In this place there is no such thing at all once mentioned, or intimated: only others are commanded not to do that which goeth in a direct way to destroy him, by grieving him with their uncharitable walking. But (ye willsay further) why should the apostle exhort him not to do that, which he could no way do, if he that Christ died for could not perish? nsw. Though the one could not perish, in réspect of the event: the other might sinfully give occasion of perishing, in respect of a procuring cause: May not a man be exhorted, ’ from attempting of that, which yet if he should attempt, he could not effect? no thanks to the,soldier, who-ran a spear
into the side of our dead Redeemer, that therewith hebrake none of his bones. Besides, is every one damned, that one attempts to destroy, by grieving him with uncharitable walking? such arguments as these, are poor men of straw. 3 (a3 eae
And yet, notwithstanding, we do not: deny, but that many may perish and that utterly, whom we, in our walking towards them and converse with them, are bound to conceive redeemed by Christ: even all being to be thought so, who are to be esteemed saints and brethren, as the language of Scripture is, concerning the professors of the gospel: and this is most certain, that no one place makes mention of such to be bought or redeemed by our Sayvieur but those which had the qualifications of being members of his visible church; which come pe ne of all and every one.
2dly, But let us sts a second place, which is 1 Cor. viii. 10, 11. And through thy snowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Chnisediéd: Answ. This seemeth to have more colour’. ‘but really yieldetn no more strength to the persuasion fog whose confirmation it is plediéed, than the former. A brother 1 is said to perish for whom Christ died: but,
I. That by Paviaking here, is understood eternal destonuttion and damnation, I cannot apprehend. That which the apostle intimates, whereby it is done, is eating of things offered to an idol, with conscience or regard of an idol; by the example of others, who pretended to know that an idol was nothing, and so to eat freely of the things offered to them. That so doing was a sin, in its own nature damnable, none can doubt; all sin is so; every time we sin, for any thing that lieth in us we perish, we are destroyed; so did the eater of things offered to idols: but that God always revengeth sin with damnation, on all in whom it is, we deny; he hath otherways revealed himself, in the blood of Jesus. That every such a one did actually perish eternally, as well as meritoriously, cannot be proved. Besides,
2. He that is. said to perish is called a brother, that is a believer; we are brethren only by faith, whereby we come to have one father: and as he is said to be a brother, so Christ is said-to.die for him. But, that a true believer cannot finally perish, may easily be proved; therefore he who doth perish, is manifestly declared never to have been any: they went out from us, because they were not of us; if any perish, then he was never a true believer. How then is he called a brother ?- because he is so in profession, so in our judgment and Ciel ey it being meet for us to think so of them all. -
3. As he is said to he a brother, so Christ is said to die for him; even in that judgment, which the Scripture allows to us of men. We cannot count a man a brother, and not esteem that Christ died for him; we have no brotherhood with reprobates. But Christ died for all believers; so we esteem all men walking in the due profession of the gospel, not manifesting the contrary: yet of these that many may perish, none ever denied. Fwrther, this’ so shall he, perish, refereth to the sin of bia that layeth the -offence; for ought that lieth in him. #€ ruins him irrecoverably.. aa ve anetipady Hence see their argumext, viz. The apostle telleth persons walking offensively that by this abusing their liberty, others will foltow them, to the wounding of their con- ‘science apa ruin; who are brethren, acknowledged so by you, 2ad such as for whom Christ died: therefore Christ died for all the reprobates in the world. Is it just and equal, saith the apostle, that ye should do such things as will be stumbling-blocks in the way of the weak brother, at which he might stumble and fall? therefore Christ died for all. We do not deny, but that some may perish and that eternally, concerning whom we ought to judge that Christ died for them: whilst they live and converse with us according to the rule of the gospel. $dly, The next place is much insisted on, viz. 2 Pet. ii. 1. There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bringing upon themselves swift destruction. .. ‘ i Soe a Answ. All things here, as to any proof of the business in hand, are, exceedingly dark, uncertain, and doubtful: uncertain, that by the Lord is meant the Lord Christ; the word in the original being deoxérys, seldom or never ascribed to him: uncertain, whether the purchase or buying of these false teachers refer to the eternal redemption by the blood. of Christ; or a deliverance by God’s goodness from the defilement of the world in idolatry, or the like, through the knowledge of the truth; which last the text expressly affirms: and, uncertain, whether the apostle speaketh of this purchase according.to the reality of the thing; or according to their apprehension, and their profession. ik ype On the other side, it is most certain, that there are no spiritual distinguishing fruits of redemption ascribed ‘to those false teachers; but only common gifts of light and knowledge; which Christ hath purchased for many, for whom he did not make his soul a ransom*: and most certain, that, even according to our adversaries, the redemption of any by the blood of Christ, cannot be a peculiar aggravation of the sins of any, because they say he died for all, and yet this buying of the false teachers is held out, as an aggravation of their sin in particular. be Of the former uncertainties, whereon our adversaries build their inference of universal redemption, (which yet can by no means be wire-dawn thence, were they most certain in their sense) I shall give a brief account; and, so speak something, as to the proper intendment of the place And, ba 1. It is most uncertain, whether Christ as Mediator be here intended by Lord, or not. There is not any thing in the text, to enforce us so to conceive: nay, the contrary seems apparent; (1.) Because in the following verses, God only as God, with his dealings. towards such as these, is mentioned: of Christ, not a word. (2.) The name dconéeys,
properly erus, attended by dominion and sovereignty, is
not usually, if at all, given to our Saviour in the New
Testament; he is every where -called xtp10s; no where
clearly Seonsrys, as is the Father, Luke ii. 29. Acts iv. 25, and in divers other places. Besides, (3.) If it should. appear, that this name were given our Saviour in any one place, doth it therefore follow, that it must be so here?
Nay, (4.) Is this the name proper for our Saviour, in the
work of redemption? Sesnérms is such a lord or master, as refers to servants and subjection; the end of Christ’s purchasing any by his blood, being in the Scripture always and constantly expressed, in other terms of more endearment.. It is then most uncertain, that Christ should be here understood by the word Lord. But suppose he should,: a
MR * This cannot be meant of purchasing these common gifts for such persons, as the objects of intended benefit thereby; but only for them as the subjects of these gifts, for the intended benefit, of the church;
so that still, all the intended benefit, and the former objective respect —
of the purchase, is only towards those for whom Christ did make his soularansom. i ee:
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. It is most, uncertain, that by buying of these false BP otra is meant his purchasing of them with the ransom of his blood; for (1.) The apostle insisteth on a comparison with the times of the Old Testament, and the false -prophets. that were then amongst the people #; backing his — assertion with divers examples out of the Old Testament, in the whole chapter following :.now the word dojohibes here used, signifieth primarily the buying of things translatitiously the redemption of persons: and the word rains) in the Old Testament answering thereunto, signifieth any deliverance, as Deut. vii. 8. and xv, 15. Jer. xv. 21. with innumerable ‘other places; and therefore some such deliverance is here only intimated. (2.) Because here is no mention of blood, death, price, or offering of Jesus Christ; as in other places, where proper redemption is treated on: especially some such.expression is added, where the word dyopgée is used to express it; as 1 Cor. vi. 20. Rev. y. 9. which otherwise holds out of itself, deliverance in common from any trouble. (3.) The apostle setting forth at large the deliverance they had, and the means thereof, verse 20. affirms it to consist in ‘the escaping of the pollutions of the” world, (as idolatry, false worship, and the like,) by the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; plainly declaring, that their buying was only in respect ‘of their ‘separation from the world, in respect of the enjoyment of the knowledge of the truth:’ but of w ashing in the blood of the Lamb, he is there wholly silent. Plainly, there is no purchase mentioned of these fale teachers, but a deliverance by God’s dispensations towards them, from the blindness of Judaism or Paganism, by the knowledge of the gospel; whereby the Lord bought them to be servants to him, as ichbie supreme head. So that our adversaries’ argument from the place is this: ‘*God the Lord, by imparting the knowledge of the gospel, and working them to a profissed acknowledgment of it and subjection unto it, separated and delivered from the world divers that were saints in show; really wolves and hypocrites, of old ordained to condemnation; therefore Jesus Christ shed: his blcol for the redemption ant si
vation of all reprobates. ace damned persons int
whole world.’’. Who bo a not admire our adversaries” chemistry!
3. Neither is. it more pieertuin, that the apostle spissteth
of the purchase of the wolves and hypocrites, in respect of the reality of the purchase; and not rather in respect of that estimation which others had of:them, and, by reason of their outward seeming profession, ought to have had; and of the profession that themselves made, to be purchased by him whom.they pretended to preach to others; as the Scripture saith of Ahaz, that the gods of Damascus smote him, 2 Chron. xxviii. 23. because he himself so imagined and professed. The latter hath this also to render it probable, viz. That it is the perpetual course of the Scripture, to ascribe all those things to.every one that is in the fellowship of the church, which are proper to them only who are true spiritual members of the same; as to be saints, elect, redeemed, &c. Now the truth is, from this their pr ofession that they were bought by Christ, might the apostle justly, and that according to the opinion of our adversaries, press these false teachers, by the way of aggravating their sin; for as to the thing itself, their being bought, it could be no more urged to them, than to heathens and wee that never heard of the name of the Lord Jesus. eh
Now, after all this, if our adversaries can prove universal redemption from this text, let them never despair of success In any thing they ee be it never so absurd, fond, or foolish. But when they have wrought out the work already’eut out for them, and -proved, (i. ) that the Lord is meant of Christ as. Mediator: (2.) that by buying, i meant spiritual redemption by the blood of the Lamb; “GB.) that these false teachers were really and effectually so redeemed, and not oly so accounted, because they were of the church; (4.) that those who are so redeemed may perish, contrary to the express Scripture, Rev. xiv. 43 and, (5.)
- when they manifest the strength of this inference, viz. Some in the church who have acknowledged Christ to be their purchaser, fall away to blaspheme him, and perish for ever, therefore Christ bought and redeemed all that ever did or shall perish; (6.) that that which i is common to all, is a peculiar aggravation to the sin of any one more than
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kaa vided for them; which themselves know, for a good part already, where to find. *
4thly, The last place produced for the confirmation of the argument in hand, is Hed. x. 29. Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the spirit ot grace. Nothing, say our adversaries, could be affirmed of all this, concerning apostates, viz. That they have trodden under foot, &e. unless the blood of Christ was in some sense shed for them.. nsw. The intention of the apostle in this place, is the same with the general aim and seope of the whole epistle, to persuade and urge the Jews, who had embraced the doctrine of the gospel, to perseverance and continuance therein. This as he doth perform in other places, (with divers and various arguments, the most of them taken - from a comparison at large instituted, between the gospel in its administration, and those legal shadows, which before their profession of the gospel they lived under and were in bondage unto:) so here, he urgeth a strong argument to the same purpose, ab incommodo seu effectu
* It seems not improper to subjoin here an extract from what Dr. Gillsays (The cause of God and Truth, part. 1. num, 54) upon this same text, 2 Pet. ii. 1. viz: The word buying, regards temporal deliverance; and particularly the redemption of the people of Israel out of Egypt, who are therefore called the people the Lord had purchased. The phrase is borrowed from Deut. xxxii. 6. Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy Father that bought thee? Hath he not made thee and established thee? Nor is this the only place the apostle Peter refers to in this chapter; see ver. 12, 18, compared with Deut. xxxu. 5. Now the persons the apostle writes to were Jews; the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Capadocia, Asia and Bithynia; a people who, in all ages, valued themselves upon, and boasted mightily of their being the dought, purchased people of the Lord. Wherefore Peter makes use of this phrase, much in the same manner as Moses had done before him, to aggravate the ingratitude and impiety of these false teachers among the Jews; that ¢iey should deny, if not in words, at least in works, that mighty Jehevah — -who had of old redeemed their fathers out of Egypt with a stretched out arm, and in successive ages had distinguished them with peculiar favours: being ungodly men — turninge the grace, the doctrine of the grace of God, into lasciviousness. — Chap. TV. Jind places of Scripture opened. ave
pernicioso; from the miserable dangerous effects and con= sequences of the’sin of backsliding, and wilful. renunciation of the truth known and professed, upon any motives and inducements whatsoever; which he assureth to be no less, than a total casting off and depriving themselves of all hopes and ‘means of recovery, with dreadful horror of conscience in ex Se ee of an Se to come, verse 26, 27.
Now this he confirms, as his manner is, in this baste, from some thing, way and practics, which was known to ‘them, and wherewith they were all acquainted by
that administration of the covenant under which they had
before lived in their Judaism; and so makes up his inference from a comparison of the less: taking his example from the punishment due by God’s own appointment, to all them who transgressed Moses’ law, in such a manner as apostates sin against the gospel, that is, with an high hand and contemptuously; for such a one was to die without mercy, Num. xv. 30, 31. Whereupon, having abundantly proved that the pospel. and the manifestation of grace therein’ is exceedingly preferred to and exalted. above the old ceremonies of the law, he concludes, that: certainly a much sorer punishment (which he leaves to their judgment to suppose) awaits for them who wilfully violate the holy gospel, despising the declaration of grace therein contained and by it revealed. Which further also to manifest, he sets forth the nature and quality of this. sin in all such as, professing redemption and deliverance by the blood’ of Christ, shall wilfully ¢ast themselves thereinto: it is, saith he, no less than to tread under foot or contemn the Son of God; to esteem the blood of the covenant, by which he was set apart and sanctified in the “profession of the gospel, to be as the blood of a vile man 5 and thereby to do despite to the spirit of grace.
This being (as is confessed) the plain meaning and aim of the apostle; we may observe sundry things, for the vindication of this place from the abuse of our adversaries: as,
1. He speaketh here only of those dist were pr ofessors of the faith of the gospel; separated from the world, brought into a church-state and fellowship, pr ofessing
Bb2 themselves to be sanctified by the blood of Christ, receiving and owning Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and endued with the “pilfts of the holy Spirit (as chap. vi. 4, 5.) Now it is most certain, that these things are peculiar only, to some, yea to a very few, in comparison of the universality of the sons of men: so that what is affirmed of such only, can by no means be so extended as to be applied unto all. But if any one may be exempted, universal redemption falleth to. the ground: from the condition of a very few, with such qualifications as the multitude ‘have not, nothing can be concluded concerning all. ~.
2. The apostle doth neither declare what hath been, nor assert what may be; but only adds a commination, upon a supposition of a thing: his main aim being to deter from the thing, rather than to signify that it may be; by showing the misery that must needs follow, if it should so come to pass. When Paul told the soldiers, 4cts xxvii. 31. that if the mariners fled away in the boat they could not be saved, he did not intend to signify to them, that in respect of the event they should be drowned; for God had declared the contrary unto him in the night before, and he to them: but only to exhort them to prevent that, which of itself was a likely way for their ruin and perishing. Neither shall the Remonstrants, with all their rhetorie, ever persuade us, that it is in-vain and altogether fruitless to forewarn men of an evil, and to exhort them to take heed of those ways whereby it is naturally and according to the order among the:things themselves to be incurred;; although in respect of the purpose of God, the thing itself have no futurition, nor shall ever come to pass. A-commination of the judgment due to apostacy, being an appointed means for the preserving of the saints from
‘hat sin, may be held out to them; though it be impossible the elect should be seduced.
Now that Paul here deals only upon a supposition, (not g wiving being to the thing, but only showing the connexyon between apostacy and condemnation; thereby to stir
up all the saints to take heed, lest there should be in any of them an evil heart of unbelief, departing from the living God;) ts apparent from verse 26. where he makes an entrance upon this argument and motive to perseverance: for if we sin wilfully, &c. That believers may do so, he speaks not one word; but if they should do so, he shows what would be the’ event: as that the soldiers in the ship should: perish, Paul told them not; but yet showed what must needs come to pass, if the means of prevention were not used... Now if this be the intention of the apostle, (as it is most likely, by his speaking in the first person if we sin wilfully;) then not any thing in the world can be hence concluded, either for the universality of redemption or the apostacy of saints, to both which ends this place is usually urged: for, seppositio nil ponit in esse.
3. It is most certain, that these. of whom he speaks, did make profession of all these things whereof here is mention, viz. that. Jesus Christ was the Son of God, that they were sanctified by the blood of the covenant, and enlightened by the spirit of grace; yea, as is apparent from the parallel place, Hed. vi. 4, Shad many gifts of illumination, besides their initiation by baptism, wherein open profession and demonstration was made of these things, so that a renunciation of all these, with open detestation of them, as was the manner of apostates, accursing the name of Christ; was a sin of so deep an abomination, attended with so many aggravations, as might well have annexed to it this remarkable commination; though the apostates never had themselves apy true elec: tual interest in the blood of Jesus.
4. That it was the manner of the saints, and the apostles themselves, to esteem of all baptized initiated persons, ingrafted into the church, as sanctified persons:. so that speaking of backsliders, he could not make mention of them any otherwise than as they were commonly esteemed — to be, and at that time in the judgment of charity were to be considered. Whether they were true believers or not (but only temporary,) to whom this argument against apostacy is proposed, according to the usual manner of
speech used by the Holy Ghost, they could not be otherwise described,
5. If the text be interpreted positively, and according to the truth of the thing itself, in both parts thereof; viz. that these of whom the apostle speaketh were truly sanctified, and that such may totally perish: then these two.
things will inevitably follow, (1.) that faith and sanctification is not the fruit of election, (2.) that believers may fall finally from Christ: neither of which I as yet find to be owned by our new universalists, though both contended for by our old Arminians. a as? wine
6. There is nothing in the text of force to. persuade, that the persons here spoken of, must needs be truly justified and regenerated believers; much less that Christ died for them, which comes in only by strained consequences. One expression only, seems’ to give any colour hereunto; that they were said to be sanctified by the blood of the covenant. Now concerning this, if we do: but consider, (1.) the manner and custom of: the apostles in-writing to the churches, calling them all saints that were called, aseribing that to. every one that belonged only to some; (2.) that these persons were. baptized; (which ordinance among the ancients was sometimes called garvouds illumination, sometimes dy:¢cuds, sanctification) wherein, by a so-Jemn aspersion of the symbol of the blood of Christ, they were externally sanctified, separated and set apart, and were by all esteemed as saints and believers; (3.) the various signification of the word dyes (here used) in the Scripture, whereof one most frequent is to consecrate and Set apart to any holy use, as 2 Chron. xxix. 33. Levit. ‘Xvi. 4. (4.) that Paul useth in this epistle many words and phrases in a temple sense, alluding in the things and ways. of the Christian church, unto the old legal observances; (5.) that supposed and professed sanctity, is often‘ called: so, and esteemed to be so indeed: If I say we shall consider these things, it will be most apparent, that here is indeed. no true, real, internal, effectual sanctification, proper to God’s elect, at all intimated; but only a common external setting apart (with repute and esteem: of real holiness) from the ways of the world and customs of the old: synagogue, to an enjoyment of the ordinance of Christ,. ‘representing the blood of the covenant: So that this. commination being made to all, so externally and apparently sanctified: to them that were truly so, it. declared’ the certain connexion between apostacy and condemnation, thereby warning them to avoid it: as Joseph was. ‘warned to fly into Egypt, lest Herod should slay the child; which yet, in respect of God’s purpose, could not — be effected: but as to them that were only apparently so, - it held out the odiousness of the sin, with their own certain ynevitable destruction if they fell into it; which it was ne sible they might do.
And thus by the Lord’s assistance, halve IT given you, (as I hope) a clear solution of all the arguments, which heretofore the Arminians pretended to draw from the Scripture in the defence of their cause: some other sophisms shall hereafter be removed. But because of late we have had a multiplication of arguments on this subject, some whereof, at least in form, appear to be new, and may ‘ gause some trouble to the unskilful, I shall in the next place remove all those objections which’. M. in his book of the Universality of Free Grace, hath gathered together against our main thesis, of Christ’s dying only for the elect; which himself puts together in one bundle, chap. 26. and ealleth them reasons.