meant the Gentiles; and Christ opposes a notion of the Jews, that they themselves only were the objects of God's love, and that the Gentiles had no share in it, and would not enjoy any benefit by the Messiah when he came; but, says Christ, I tell you, God has so loved the world of the Gentiles as to give his Son, that whosoever believes in him, be he of what nation soever, shall be saved with an everlasting salvation.

III. The words of the Samaritans to the woman of Samaria, in John iv. 42, We know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world, of Gentiles as well as Jews; this they learnt from what Christ had made known of himself, and of his grace to them; for they were originally Gentiles, and were now reckoned by the Jews as heathens.

IV. The words of our Lord in his discourse about himself, as the bread which giveth life unto the world; and which is his flesh he gave for the life of the world. Now no more can be designed by the world, than those who are quickened by this bread applied unto them, and received by them, and for the obtaining of eternal life; for whom the flesh or human nature of Christ was given, as a sacrifice for sin, whereby that is secured unto them: but this is not true of all men, since even the gospel, which exhibits the heavenly manna and holds forth Christ, the bread of life, is to some the savour of death unto death, whilst to others it is the savour of life unto life, 2 Cor. ii. 16.

v. The words of the apostle, in 2 Cor. v. 19, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself; these are the same with the us, in the preceding verse, which were a special and distinct people; for it cannot be said of every man what follows, not imputing their trespasses unto them, which is a special blessing that belongs to some; for though it comes upon both Jews and Gentiles that believe, yet not upon all and every man, Rom. iv. 6-8; for some men's sins will be charged upon them, and they will be punished for them with an everlasting destruction; by various circumstances in the context it seems that by the world the Gentiles are meant.

vi. The famous and well-known text in this controversy is, 1 John ii. 2, where Christ is said to be the propitiation for the sins of the world. Now let it be observed, that these phrases, all the world and the whole world, are often in Scripture to be taken in a limited sense; as in Luke ii. 1, that all the world should be taxed; it can mean no more than that part of the world, the Roman empire, which was under the dominion of Cæsar Augustus; and in Rom. i. 8, it can only design the Christians throughout the world, not the heathens; and when the gospel is said to be in all the world, and bring forth fruit, Col. i. 6, it can only intend true believers in Christ in all places, in whom only it brings forth fruit; and when it is said all the world wondered after the beast, Rev. xiii. 3, at that same time, there were saints he made war with, because they would not worship him; and so in other places; and in this epistle of John the phrase is used in a restrained sense, 1 John v. 19, where those that belong to God are distinguished from the whole world, described by lying in wickedness, which they do not. And as John was a Jew, he spake in the language of the Jews, who

frequently in their writings use the phrase by, the whole world, in a limited sense; sometimes it only signifies a large number of peoplea; sometimes a majority of their doctors"; sometimes a congregation; or a whole synagogue; and sometimes very few; and so here in the text under consideration, it cannot be understood of all men; only of those for whom Christ is an advocate, verse 1, whose advocacy is founded on his propitiatory sacrifice; now Christ is not an advocate, or does not make intercession for all men; for he himself says, I pray not for the world; and Christ can be a propitiation for no more than he is an advocate; if he was a propitiation for all, he would surely be an advocate for all, and plead on their behalf his propitiatory sacrifice; but Christ was set forth, or preordained, to be a propitiation, not for all men, but for such only who, through faith in his blood, receive the benefit of it and rejoice in it, Rom. iii. 25, and v. 11; moreover, in this epistle, the persons for whom Christ is a propitiation, are represented as a peculiar people, and the objects of God's special love, 1 John iv. 10; but what may be observed, and will lead more clearly into the sense of the passage before us, is, that the apostle John was a Jew, and wrote to Jews; and in the text speaks of them, and of the Gentiles, as to be distinguished; and therefore says of Christ, he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, for the sins of us Jews only, but for the sins of the whole world; of the Gentiles also, of all the elect of God throughout the Gentile world; in which a notion of the Jews is opposed, that the Gentiles would receive no benefit by the Messiah, as has been observed on John iii. 16; and here the apostle takes up the sentiment of his Lord and Master, in whose bosom he lay and expresses it. Nothing is more common in Jewish writings than to call the Gentiles the world, the whole world, and the nations of the world; as they are by the apostle Paul, in distinction from the Jews, Rom. xi. 12-15.

III. Another class of scriptures, which may seem to favour the universal scheme, and are usually brought in support of it, are such which it is thought intimate that Christ died for some that may be destroyed and perish.

1. The first passage is in Rom. xiv. 15, Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died; which can never design eternal destruction, for that cannot be thought to be either in the will or power of men; could it be supposed that it was in the will of any, or that any were of such a malicious disposition, as to wish for and seek the eternal damnation of another, which surely cannot be imagined among men professing religion, yet it could never be in their power; for none but God can destroy soul and body in hell, Matt. x. 28; nor can one instance be produced of any that were eventually destroyed for whom Christ died; nor can such destruction be brought about by eating meat, of different use, that might or might not be eaten, of which the apostle is speaking, neither through themselves nor others eating it; for that can never affect the eternal state of men which makes a man neither T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 71. 2. b Ibid. Bava Metzia, fol. 33. 2. Ibid. Megillah, fol. 22. 2. Ibid. Horaiot, fol. 33. 2. e Vide Mill. Form. Talmud. p. 41, 42.

better nor worse, 1 Cor. viii. 8. But the passage is to be understood of the destruction of a weak brother's peace and comfort, through the imprudent use of things indifferent by a stronger brother; who thereby may be the occasion of offending and grieving his brother, and of his stumbling and falling, so as to wound and distress him, though not as to perish eternally; thus it is explained, 13, 21, and is to be taken in the same sense as the phrase in 20, for meat destroy not the work of God; not saints, as the workmanship of God, for as that is not of man's making, it is not of man's marring; nor the work of grace, which being begun will be perfected; nor the work of faith, which will be performed with power; but the work of peace in individual persons and in the church of God.

II. A similar passage, and to be understood in much the same manner, is in 1 Cor. viii. 12, And through thy knowledge shall thy weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? which intends not the perishing of his immortal soul, or of his perishing eternally in hell, which can never be the case of any for whom Christ died; for then the death of Christ would be so far in vain, and not be a security from condemnation, contrary to Rom. viii. 33; nor be a full satisfaction to justice, or God must be unjust, to punish twice for the same offence; but it intends the perishing of his peace and comfort for a time; and is explained by defiling and wounding his conscience, and making him to offend, through the imprudent use of Christian liberty in those who had stronger faith and greater knowledge, of which they should be careful, from this consideration, that a weak brother is as near and dear to Christ, since he died for him, as a stronger brother is.

III. Another passage urged for the same purpose is in 2 Pet. ii. 1, which speaks of false teachers that should be among the saints, who would bring in damnable heresies, denying the Lord that bought them, &c., from whence it is concluded, that such as are bought by Christ may be destroyed; but Christ is not here spoken of, but God the Father; and of him the word deσTorns is always used, when applied to a divine person, and not of Christ; nor is there any thing in this text that obliges us to understand it of him; nor is there here any thing said of Christ's dying for any persons in any sense whatever; nor of the redemption of any by his blood; and which is not intended by the word bought. Where Christ's redemption is spoken of, the price is usually mentioned, or some circumstance or another, which plainly determines the sense; besides, if such as Christ has bought with his blood should be left so to deny him as to bring upon themselves eternal destruction, Christ's purchase would be in vain, and the ransom-price be paid for nought, which can never be true. The buying spoken of in the text respects temporal deliverance, particularly the redemption of Israel out of Egypt, who are therefore called a purchased people, Exod. xv. 16; the phrase is borrowed from Deut. xxxii. 6, where, to aggravate the ingratitude of the people of Israel, it is said, Is not he thy Father that hath bought thee? And this is not the only place Peter refers to in this chapter, see verses 12 and 13, compared with Deut. xxxii. 5. Now the persons the apostle writes unto were Jews, scat

tered about in divers places; a people that in all ages valued themselves upon and boasted of their being the Lord's peculiar people, bought and purchased by him; wherefore the phrase is used here as by Moses, to aggravate the ingratitude and impiety of the false teachers among the Jews; that they should deny, in works at least, if not in words, that mighty Jehovah who had of old redeemed their fathers out of Egypt, and had distinguished them with peculiar favours.

From what has been observed concerning redemption, the nature and properties of it may be learnt.

1. That it is agreeable to all the perfections of God; it springs from his love, grace, and mercy, and glorifies them; it is planned and conducted by his infinite wisdom, which is illustriously displayed in it; and it is wrought out to declare his justice and honour; that all the perfections of God meet in it, mercy and truth, peace and righteousness: the glory of all his attributes is great in the redemption and salvation of his people.

2. It is what a creature never could obtain; none but the Son of God; no man could have redeemed himself or any other, nor given to God a ransom for either; a creature could never have redeemed himself, neither by power nor by price; not by power, he could not have loosed the fetters of sin with which he was held, nor delivered himself out of the hands of Satan, the jailor, stronger than he; nor by price, for the infinite justice of God being offended by sin required an infinite satisfaction, an infinite price to be paid into its hands, for redemption and deliverance, and to which no price was adequate but the precious blood of Christ.

3. The redemption obtained by Christ resides in him, as the subject of it, who is the author of it, In him we have redemption, through his blood, Eph. i. 7; and the benefits of it are communicated from him by the Father, through his gracious imputation and application of it and of them to his people, 1 Cor. i. 30.

4. It is special and particular; they are many, and not all, that are ransomed and redeemed; they that are redeemed are redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation; they are the elect of God, and sheep of Christ; a peculiar people.

5. It is a plenteous one, full and complete; by it men are brought not into a mere salvable state, but are actually, and to all intents and purposes, saved by it: God, through it, is not made merely reconcileable to them, but the redeemed are actually reconciled to God through the death of his Son. Salvation is obtained for them, not conditionally, but absolutely; Christ came to seek and save what was lost, even the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and he has found them in redemption, and saved them. Redemption includes the several blessings of grace, as justification, pardon of sin, adoption, and eternal life, and secures all to the redeemed ones.

6. It is eternal, Heb. ix. 12; so called, in distinction from the typical and temporary expiations, by the blood of slain beasts, which could not take away sin, but there was an annual remembrance of f For a more particular investigation of these texts, see Cause of God and Truth, part 1 and 2.

them; but by the blood of Christ, men are eternally redeemed from all iniquity and in distinction from temporary redemption and salvation; as of the people of Israel out of Egypt and Babylon, which were types of this and because it extends, as to ages past, and was a redemption of transgressions and of transgressors that were under the first testament; so to ages to come, the benefits and blessings of which reach to the saints in all generations: the blessings of it are eternal; an everlasting righteousness for justification; pardon of sin is once and for ever; and once a child of God, always so, and the inheritance secured by it: redemption is eternal; and the redeemed ones shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; none of them shall ever perish, but have everlasting life.

OF THE SATISFACTION OF CHRIST.

THOUGH the doctrine of satisfaction is not only closely connected with, but even included in, the doctrine of redemption, made by paying a satisfactory price into the hands of justice, and is a part of it; yet it is of such importance, that it requires it should be distinctly and separately treated of: it is the glory of the Christian religion, which distinguishes it from others; what gives it the preference to all others; and without which it would be of no value itself: and though the word satisfaction is not syllabically expressed in Scripture, as used in the doctrine under consideration, the thing is abundantly declared in it; which yet Socinus denies; though he himself owns, that a thing is not to be rejected, because not expressly found in Scripture; for he says, it is enough with all lovers of truth, that the thing in question is confirmed by reason and testimony; though the words which are used in explaining the question, are not found expressly written. What Christ has done and suffered, in the room and stead of sinners, with content, well-pleasedness, and acceptance in the sight of God, is what may, with propriety, be called satisfaction; and this is plentifully spoken of in the word of God; as when God is said to be well-pleased for Christ's righteousness' sake, and with it, it being answerable to the demands of law and justice; and is an honouring and magnifying of it; and when the sacrifice of Christ, and such his sufferings are, is said to be of a sweet-smelling savour to God; because it has expiated sin, atoned for it; that is, made satisfaction for it, and taken it away; which the sacrifices under the law could not do; hence there was a remembrance of it every year, and there are terms and phrases which are used of Christ, and of his work; as propitiation, reconciliation, atonement, &c. which are equivalent and synonymous to satisfaction for sin, and expressive of it; concerning which may be observed the following things.

I. The necessity of satisfaction to be made for sin, in order to the salvation of sinners; for without satisfaction for sin, there can be no Prælection. Theolog. c. 15, t. 1, Oper. p. 565.

h De Adorat. Christ. Disp. inter Opera ejus, tom. 2, p. 978.