of falvation; that salvation being to be obtained only by them to whom it belongs. It therefore leaves all others under an impoffibility of believing, repenting, and obeying the Gospel; which are the conditions of the New Covenant. 3dly, It follows hence that it cannot be the duty of any, befides the Elect, to believe in Chrift, or to blefs God for fending him into the world for this no man can reasonably do, because Chrift's blood was fufficient to procure his pardon; but because it was defigned for that end. Remove this fuppofition, and to say Christ's death was fufficient for their falvation, is only to say, Christ could have procured it if he would; but he would not, and who can bless him upon that account? 4thly, Hence it is evident, all who are not elected cannot believe in a Saviour that died for them, but only in one whofe death would have been fufficient to procure their pardon, had it been intended for that end, as it was not. And what comfort can this adminifter to any? Surely no more than it would yield to a condemned malefactor to know his prince could have pardoned him, but would not. Nor, edly, Can I approve of their doctrine who fay, Chrift died fo far for all as to procure falvation for them if they will believe and repent; but that he died moreover to procure for the Elect, Faith and Repentance. For, first, there is no ground at all in Scripture for this diftinction: for that faith, Chrift died for the world; for all; for every man; but never that he died for one part of mankind more than another. 2dly, They who make this diflinction, politively affert, none can repent and believe for whom Chrift died not to procure Faith and Repentance: feeing then what he died not to procure, can never be obtained, if Christ died only to procure Faith and Repentance for the Elect, the reft can never have them. Wherefore to force thefe men to lay afide thefe difguifes of their real fentiments, I demand, 3dly, when they fay, Christ died for all, fo far as to procure falvation for them, if they will believe and repent; whether he died to procure pardon and falvation оп on a condition, which was poffible for them to perform, or only upon a condition which was impoffible, for want of grace fufficient? If the latter only, it is certain, he died not at all for them; for what is only done on an impoffible fuppofition, is not done at all. It being the fame thing not to die at all, for their benefit, as to do it only on a condition they cannot poffibly perform. But if he died to procure falvation for them on a condition which they might perform, he died intentionally to procure falvation to them as well as to the Elect; and fo all mankind may be faved. These are the expofitions of the extent of our Lord's death, which I reject. I add pofitively, 1. When I fay, Chrift died for all, I mean that he died equally for all. This will be evident if we confider, firft, that he offered the fame facrifice, fuffered one and the fame death, fhed the fame blood for all for whom he died. This facrifice muft therefore be offered equally for all; because it is the fame oblation, the fame body crucified, and the fame blood fhed for all. And hence that fcripture, which faith exprefsly, that Chrift died for all, affords not the leaft intimation that he fuffered more for one than another. Morcover, 2dly, it is certain, the fufferings of Chrift, and his blood fhed, cannot be diftributed into parts, fo that one should have one fhare of it, another a fecond, and another a third; but whofoever hath an intereft in them, hath a title to the whole benefit procured by them, and he who hath no title to the whole, hath no fhare at all in the benefit of his sufferings. 3dly, His blood was fhed to eftablish the New Covenant: now that is equally established to all who perform the conditions of it, Faith, Repentance and fincere Obedience, and belongs to none who never perform them. 2. When we say Chrift died for all, we do not mean that he died for any abfolutely, or without any conditions to be performed on their part, to intereft them in the bleffings of his paffion; but only that he died for all conditionally, or fo as that they they should be made partakers of the bleffings of his Paffion on condition of their Faith, Repentance, and fincere Obedience to the Laws of the New Covenant. These are the means he hath appointed to render them partakers of that falvation which he hath purchased by his blood. And as he died for all conditionally, fo it is certain that he died for none otherwise, i. e. he died not with intention to confer the bleffings of his paffion on any but true believers, and fuch as would obey the laws of his New Covenant; it being impoffible in the nature of the thing, that he should die to fave the unbeliever: to deny this is to fay, he died to confer the bleffings of his paffion on the impenitent and disobedient. And therefore, 3dly, When we fay Chrift died for all, we do not mean that he purchased actual reconciliation, or life for all; this. being in effect to say, that he has actually reconciled God to the impenitent and difobedient, which is impoffible: he only hath put all men into a capacity of being reconciled to God, upon their turning to him. The death of Christ having rendered it confiftent with the juftice and wifdom of God, with the honour of his Majefty, and with the ends of his government, to pardon the penitent believer. Hence the Apoftles were fent both to Jew and Gentile, To preach Repentance towards God, and Faith in our Lord Jefus Chrift, that they may receive remiffion of fins, and an inheritance among thofe that are fanctified through Faith in him. To illuftrate this by a plain fimilitude: fuppofe a prince whose subjects had rebelled against him, should, through the interceffion of his beloved fon, promise pardon to as many of them as would ask pardon in his fon's name, and promife to be obedient fubjects for the future; would this procure an actual pardon to any of them, till they had performed these conditions? Or would it ever do it for them who wilfully refused to perform them? So here, Chrift, by his death, obtained of his Father a New Covenant, in which he promifes to pardon all upon their faith, repentance, and perfeverance in well-doing; but he hath not, by his death, procured actual pa don pardon or falvation for any, who have not performed thefe conditions; nor can they lay any juft claim unto them by virtue of Chrift's dying for them: and yet upon this grofs miflake are founded many arguments produced by the Synod of Dort, against this general extent of our Lord's death. Laftly, They who fay, Chrift, by offering up himself to the death, procured to the Elect, not only Remiffion, but also Faith and Repentance, seem to talk as men ignorant of the nature of Chrift; of a Covenant; of the proper effect of Sacrifices; and alfo of the nature of Faith and Repentance. 1. As men ignorant of the nature of Chrift. For what need had Chrift to purchase the Faith and Repentance of his Ele& of his Father, feeing he could not want power fufficient over the hearts of men to work Faith and Repentance in them; nor could he, who had the greateft love to them, want will to do it. 2. Of the nature of a Covenant, which is a mutual stipulation, requiring fomething to be done by one party, that he may receive fomething from another; and therefore to make Chrift procure both the promise and the condition, by the fame act and paffion, is to turn the conditional Covenant into one that is abfolute. 3. As perfons ignorant of the nature of a Sacrifice of Atonement, whose proper effect is to remove punishment, by procuring forgiveness of the fin committed. It therefore ought to be obferved, that no Sacrifice for Sin, as fuch, no not that of our Lord Jefus Chrift, can fanctify a foul, or endow it with that divine nature, that inward purity, and all those other chriftian virtues which alone make us capable of the enjoyment. of a holy God. A pardon will make a man free from condemnation; but it cannot make him of a clean heart: it will juftify him from past fins, but cannot make him holy, and therefore cannot make him happy: and hence Sanctification is only to be afcribed to the blood of Chrift by way of motive; but to the Spirit of Chrift as the efficient caufe: and all thofe Chriftian Virtues which are comprised in it are stiled, The fruit of the Spirit, Laftly, Laftly, This notion feems repugnant to the nature of Faith, which is an affent to a divine teftimony; and of Repentance, which is a converfion of the will from fin to God. Now if Chrift hath abfolutely procured this Faith and Repentance for the Elect, they cannot be conditions to be performed on their part. And fo again, the New Covenant, in refpect of them, is not conditional, but abfolute. Moreover, if God gives this fuppofed Faith and Repentance to the Elect, by an irresistible affiftance, then others are not to be charged with guilt for not repenting and believing; because it is impoffible that they fhould do fo without that irrefiftible affiftance which God will not vouchsafe them; and fo they do not believe and repent, not because they will not do what they could do, but because they cannot do it were they never fo willing. Since then upon this fuppofition it is impoffible they should believe and repeat, for whom Chrift never purchased Faith and Repentance, it cannot be their crime that they did not what it was impoffible for them to do. [To be continued.] SERMON On EPHESIANS iv. 1 XXXI. -6. I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longfuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one fpirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptifm; One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 1. How WOW much do we almost continually hear about The Church? With many it is matter of daily converfation. And yet how few underfland what they talk of? How few |