I. world through him might be saved [upon Gospel terms,] John iii, 16, 17. This is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world, John iv, 42. We have seen and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world, 1 John iv, 14. Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; for unto you is born, &c, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, Luke ii, 10, 11. Christ is our peace, who hath made both [Jews and Gentiles] one, &c, that he might [on his part] reconcile both unto God by the cross, Eph. ii, 14, 16. [Now Jews and Gentiles are equivalent to the world.] God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, [when they believe,] 2 Cor. v, 10. It pleased the Father, &c, having made peace by the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, &c, hath he reconciled, &c, through death, to present you holy, &c, if ye continue in the faith, &c, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, &c, which is preached to every creature that is under heaven, Col. i, 19, 23. We trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe: [because such obediently submit to the terms of eternal salvation; for initial salvation depends on no terms on our part,] 1 Tim. iv, 10. The philanthropy [or] kindness of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Tit. iii, 4. The bread of God giveth life unto the world: the bread that I will give for the life of the world, John vi, 33, 51. II. that they rain no rain upon it. the vineyard of the Lord is house of Israel, and the men Judah are his pleasant plant; he looked for judgment, but bel oppression; for righteousness, behold a cry, Isa. v, 3, 7. T have turned unto me the back, not the face; though I taught th rising early, Jer. xxxii, 33. And now, because ye have a all these works, saith the Lord, I spake unto you, rising up ea and speaking, but ye heard and I called you, but ye answ not; therefore, &c, I will cast out of my sight, &c; therefore y not for this people, &c, for I not hear thee, Jer. vii, 13, 15, An Wilt thou not from this time unto me, my Father, &c? thou seen that which backsli Israel hath done? &c. said, after she had done all t things, Turn thou unto me; [re unto me, for I have redeemed t Isa. xliv, 72,] but she returned And, &c, when for all the co whereby backsliding Israel com ted adultery, I had put her at and given her a bill of divorce. her treacherous sister Judah fe not, but went and played the lot also, Jer. iii, 4–8. If thou wilt receive my w &c, so that thou incline thine e wisdom, and apply thine hear understanding, &c, then shalt understand the fear of the L and find the knowledge of Prov. ii, 1, &c. As the girdle cleaveth to loins of a man, so have I cause cleave to me the whole hous Israel, saith the Lord; that might be unto me for a people. but they would not hear. There I. Jesus said, I am the light of the world. I came, &c, to save the world, John viii, 12; xii, 47. That the world may believe thou hast sent me, John xvii, 21. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, [or, of all men to be received] that Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief, 1 Tim. i, 15. I exhort, that first of all supplications, &c, and giving of thanks be made for all men, &c, for this is good and acceptable, [not in the aght of Zelotes,] but in the sight of God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. For there , &c, one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ, who gave himself a ransom for all, &c. I will, therefore, that men pray every where, &c, without doubting, 1 Tim. ii, 1, &c. Mine eyes have seen [Christ] thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel, (ie. the Jews,] Luke ii, &c. It sa light thing that thou shouldst be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, [i. e. the Jews,] &e. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be tay salvation unto the end of the earth, Isa. xlix, 6. God, &c, preached before the Gospel to Abraham, saying, In thee, [i. e. thy II. &c, I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them, Jer. xiii, 11, 12, 14. This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that [actually] does evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that does truth, cometh to the light, John iii, 19, &c. Jeshurun, [i. e. the righteous,] waxed fat and kicked, &c. He forsook God, &c, and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation, &c. &c. They sacrificed to devils, And, when the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons and daughters. And he said, I will hide my face from them, &c, for a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell, &c. I will spend mine arrows upon them, Deut. xxxii, 15, 23. Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproof; I also will mock when your destruction cometh as a whirlwind. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer, &c; for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord, &c, Prov. i, 24, &c. If ye walk contrary to me, &c, I will bring seven times more plagues upon you, &c. And if ye will not be If Christ came to save sinners, yea, the chief of sinners, did his goodness, partiality, equity, truth, and holiness, permit him unconditionally to reprobate any sinner less than the chief? And if he came to save sinners, the chief not excepted, why does Zelotes except all that die in unbelief? If they do not believe, and do their part as redeemed souls, is it right to infer that Christ did not die for them and do his part as the Redeemer or Saviour of all men? Especially since tiae Scriptures testify that eternal salvation is suspended on our works of faith; and that the reprobates perish, because they "deny in works the Lord that Bght them ?" I. seed, which is Christ] shall all nations [yea] all families of the earth be blessed, Gal. iii, 8, 16; Gen. xii, 3. In him [the Word made flesh] was life, and the life was the light of men; and the light shineth [even] in the darkness, &c, [that] comprehended it not. John came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through it [' aurs polos] might believe, &c. That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, John i, 4, &c. II. reformed by these things, I will punish you yet seven times, &c. And if ye will not for all this hearken to me, &c, I will cast down your carcasses upon the car. casses of your idols, &c, and my soul shall abhor you, Lev. xxvi, 21-30. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit [during the day of salva tion] he taketh away, &c, and it is withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned, John xv, 2-6. Ye shall bow down to the slaughter, because when I called ye did not answer, Isa. lxv, 12. From the preceding scriptures it appears, that as in a vine some branches are nearer the root than others; so among mankind some men have a stronger and more immediate union with Christ than others; but, so long as their day of salvation lasts, all men have some interest in him; there being as many ways of being in Christ, as there are dis. pensations of Gospel grace. That infants are interested in him, seems evident from Rom. v, 18, and Mark x, 14: and that Cornelius, for ex ample, was in Christ as a just heathen, before he was in him as a Jew ish proselyte, much more before he was in him as a Christian believer is not less evident from Matt. xxv, 29; Psa. 1, 23; Luke xvi, 10, 11. Bu when the expression, being in Christ, is taken in its most confined sense as it is in some of the epistles, it means a being so fully acquainted with and so intimately united to Christ, as to enjoy the privileges peculiar t the Christian dispensation, like Cornelius, when he had believed th Gospel of Christ, and was baptized with the Holy Ghost. To say the he was in every respect without Christ before, is to strike a blow at th root it is to suppose that a man can be accepted out of the Belove work righteousness without Christ's assistance, and "bring forth frui meet for repentance," in a total separation from the vine. Thus it is, how ever, that the Solifidianism of Zelotes meets with the Pharisaism Honestus. I. All men should honour the Son [by believing on him,] Johu v, 23. I will draw all men to me, John xii, 32. The free gift came upon all men, Rom. v, 18. The saving grace of God hath appeared unto all men, Tit. ii, 11. God giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, James i, 5. The Lord is good to all [or loving to every man] II. I have purged thee [I have do the part of a Saviour] and th wast not purged: [thou hast done the part of a penitent sinne Ezek. xxiv, 13. Behold, I stand the door and knock; if any m hear my voice, and open the do [by the obedience of faith] IV come in to him, and will sup w him, and he with me, Rev. iii, and his tender mercies are over all his works, Psa. cxlv, 9. If one died for all, then were all dead. He died for all, that they which live, should, &c, live to him who died for them, 2 Cor. v, 14, 15. He is despised and rejected of men, &c. We [men] esteemed him not, &c. Surely he was wounded for our transgressions, &c, and with his stripes we are (initally, and his seed, persevering believers, completely] healed. All we [men] like sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all, &c. He poured out his soul unto death, &c; he bore the sin [] of the multitudes, and made intercession for the transgressors, Isa. im, 3-6, 12. If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the ns of the whole world, 1 John ii, 1, 2. GENERAL REDEMPTION and FREE GRACE are the gracious spring zhence flow the general, sincere, and rational missions, Gospel calls, commands, exhortations, and expostulations which follow. God hath reconciled us to him Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, Acts x, 34. If ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, James ii, 9. It is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who, without respect of persons, judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear; forasmuch as ye know that ye were redeemed, &c, with the precious blood of Christ, 1 Pet. i, 17, 18. [How different is this Gospel from the Gospel of the day! And if to elect and to reprobate is to judge that myriads of unborn people shall be eternally loved or hated without any respect to their tempers and actions, what can we say of doctrines, which fix upon God the spot that Solomon describes in the following words?] It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. He that says to the wicked, Thou art righteous, [or he that says to what is not, Thou art wicked, and I unconditionally appoint thee for eternal destruction,] him shall the people curse: nations shall abhor him, Prov. xxiv, 23, 24. Through the LIBERTY OF OUR WILL we may IMPROVE or NEGLECT so great redemption; we may make, or refuse to make our sincere election and rational calling sure; as appears from the following scrip The first signification of the Hebrew word (BR) is a multitude; and as Isaiah uses it in the plural number, I hope Zelotes will not think that I take an undue liberty, when I render it the multitudes: namely, the multitudes of "transgressors" mentioned in the same verse; or the multitudes of men that "have turned every one to his own ways." See verses 3, 6. I. self by Jesus Christ, 2 Cor. v, 18. Him [Christ] God hath exalted to give repentance to Israel-[and] to the Gentiles, [i. e. to all mankind, who are made up of Jews and Gentiles,] Acts v, 31; xi, 18. [Hence it is that] God now commandeth all men every where to repent; because he will judge the world in righteousness, Acts xvii, 30, 31. Thou [Paul] shalt be his [Christ's] witness unto all men. To make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery [of redeeming and sanctifying love,] Acts xxii, 15; Eph. iii, 9. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, Isa. xlv, 22. Come unto me, all ye that travel [with sin] and are heavy laden [with troubles] and I will give you rest, Matt. xi, 28. Jesus spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven, and in earth: go ye therefore and teach [proselyte] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. [A sure proof this that the Son has redeemed all nations, and purchased for them the influences of the Holy Ghost, Matt. xxviii, 18, 19.] Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature, &c, and they went forth preaching every where, Mark xvi, 15, 20. Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely, Rev. xxii, 17. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, 2 Pet. iii, 9. Come now [ye rulers of Sodom, ye people of Gomorrah] and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, &c. Ye shall eat the good of the land, Isa. i, 10, 18, 19. II. ye reconciled to God, 2 Cor. v, 20. And they all, with one consent, began to make excuse, &c. I have married a wife, and therefore I can. not come, &c. Then the master of the house being angry said, &c, None of those men, who were bidden [or called, and refused to make their calling and election sure] shall taste of my supper, Luke xvii, 18. How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity and the scorners delight in scorning? and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, Prov. i, 22, 23. I am the Lord thy God, &c, open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken to my voice, and Israel would none of me, Psa. lxxxi, 10, 11. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, Deut. xxx. 19. Mary hath chosen the good part, Luke x, 42. Choose you this day whom ye will serve, &c, but as for me, and my house, [we have made our choice] we will serve the Lord, Josh. xxiv, 15. He that rejecteth me, &c, hat one that judgeth him. The wor [of the Gospel] that I have spoker the same shall judge him in the las day, John xii, 48, We will not hav this man to reign over us. Thos &c, who would not that I shoul reign over them, slay them befor me, Luke xix, 14, 27. If ye be willing and obedient, & But if ye refuse and rebel, ye sha be devoured with the sword; for th mouth of the Lord hath spoken verses 19, 20. |