111. Ixvi 4. all my counfel, and would none of my reproof. When s ER M. I called, ye did not answer; when I fpake, ye did not bear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choofe that wherein I delighted not. And, Behold, their ear is un- Ifa. Ixv. 12. circumcifed, and they cannot hearken; behold, the word Ezek. xii. of the Lord is unto them a reproach, they have no de- 2. light in it. They refused to hearken, and pulled away the Zech. vii. fhoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear ; 11, 12. yea, they made their hearts as an adamant ftone, left they Should hear the law, which the Lord of hosts bath fent in his Spirit. Which paffages, and many others of the like importance that occur, do imply the large extent of God's merciful intentions, and the competency of the means, which God affords for the falvation of men; that he wants no affection or inclination to fave them; that he neglects no means proper for effecting it; that he draws them into the way leading thither, by ferious and earneft invitation, directs them by needful light and instruction, excites them by powerful arguments and perfuafions; and as St. Ambrose speaketh, Quod in Deo De Parad. 8. fuit, oftendit omnibus, quod omnes voluit liberare: God hewed to all, that what was in him, he did will to deliver (or fave) all men. Whence he may truly and properly be called the Benefactor and Saviour *, even of thofe, who by their wilful malice or neglect do not obtain falvation. For in refpect to the fame favours, which are exhibited and tendered to them, he is the Saviour of thofe, who by hearkening to God's call, and complying with God's defign; by well using the means vouchfafed, and performing the conditions required, do finally attain falvation. If it be faid, that thefe tranfactions do refer only to God's own people, or to thofe only, unto whom God pleased to difpenfe efpecially revelations of truth, and overtures of mercy that we therefore cannot * ἀπολογέμενος μετὰ ἀποδείξεων ὅτι πάντα τὰ εἰς αὐτὸν ἥκοντα ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν κρινομένων πεποίηκεν - Baf. in Pf. vii. E 2 thence 111. SER M. thence infer any thing concerning the general extent of God's defign, or the virtue of Chrift's performances in refpect to all mankind; we may to this fuggeftion rejoin, that by observing the manner of God's proceedings toward them, unto whom he openly declareth his mind and will, we may reafonably collect how he ftandeth affected toward others, and by what rules, or upon what accounts, he dealeth with them; taking in the analogy of reason, and parity or disparity of the cafe. As to God's affection, it is the fame every where, agreeable to that nature, which inclineth him to be good to all, and Pfal. cxxxv. merciful over all his creatures (as the Pfalmift tells us); unto which difpofition his providence yields atteftaActs xiv. tion ; for ἐκ ἀμάρτυρον ἀφῆκεν ἑαυτὸν ἀγαθοποιῶν, he did 9. 17. not leave himself without teftimony, doing good to all, as St. Paul tells us; although he doth not difpenfe his favours in the fame method, or difcover his meaning by the fame light, or call men to him with the fame voice and language. Neither was mankind ever left deftitute of that divine grace, which (as the good writer de Vocatione Gentium faith) never denied itfelf to any ages, with the fame virtue, in different meafure, with an unchangeable counfel, and multiform operation. So in one place; and in another, There was always (faith he) difpenfed to all men a certain measure of inftruction from above, which, although it came from a more occult and fparing grace, did yet fuffice to fome for remedy, to all for teftimony. Comparing the different ftates of men, we may fubftitute with St. Paul, for the law of revelation engraved * Gratia Dei nullis feculis fe negavit, virtute una, quantitate diverfa, concilio incommutabili, opere multiformi. II. 5. + Adhibita eft femper univerfis hominibus quædam fupernæ menfura doctrinæ, quae etfi occultioris parciorilque gratiæ fuit, fuffecit tamen quibufdam ad remedium, omnibus ad teftimonium. II. 15. Rom. ii. 14, 15. -Nulli nationi hominum bonitatis fuæ dona fubtraxit, ut pro pheticas 27. engraved upon tables, the law of nature written in S ER M. men's hearts; for prophetical inftructions, the dictates of 111. reafon; for audible admonitions and reproofs, fecretwhispers of grace, and checks of confcience; for extraordinary inftances of divine power, the ordinary works of the creation (by which God's eternal divinity Aes xiv. and power are difcernible); for the fpecial and occa-17. fional influences of providence, the common and continual expreffions of divine beneficence; then allowing for the difparity (as to measure of evidence and efficacy) in these things; and as to the reft, the cafe is the fame. If one part hath means more clear and forcible, yet thofe which are granted to the other are not void of use or virtue; by them all men in all places may feek God, if haply they may feel him and find Acts xvii. him; ye may (as St. Paul implieth) be able to know Rom. i. 18, God, and induced to ferve him; to thank him, and 20. to glorify him in fome measure; in a measure an- 26. fwerable to fuch light and ftrength; no more doth Rom. i. 21, God require, for no more will he reckon with them. If their helps be deemed more low and fcanty, their duty in proportion is lefs high, and their accounts will be more eafy. Enough certainly they have to excufe God from mifprifion of not having provided competently for them, to render them, if they do Rom. i. 20. not well use and improve it, inexcufable; and what they have is an effect of God's mercy procured and purchased by their Saviour. But of this point we may have occafion afterward to fay more; I fhall now only add, that this fuggeftion, well confidered, may afford another argument to confirm our doctrine; which is this. 10. If our Lord be the Saviour of all thofe to whom God's truth is declared, and his mercy offered; or, if he be the Saviour of all the members of the visible pheticas voces et præcepta legalia convincerentur in elementorum obfequiis, et teftimoniis accepiffe. De Voc. G. i. 5. Rom. i. 19. E 3 Church; Rom. ii. 15, SER M. Church; particularly if he be the Saviour of those, III. who among thefe, rejecting the overtures and means of grace, or by difobedience abufing them, fhall in the event fail of being faved, then is he the Saviour of all men. But our Lord is the Saviour of thofe perfons; and therefore he is the Saviour of all men. The affumption we affayed to fhew in the laft argument; and many exprefs teftimonies of Scripture beforementioned establish it; the common ftyle of Scripture doth imply it, when in the apoftolical writings to all the visibly faithful indifferently the relation to Chrift as their Saviour is affigned, an intereft in all his faving performances is fuppofed, the title of owζόμενοι and σεσωσμένοι (with others equivalent, of juf tified, fanctified, regenerated, quickened, &c.) are attributed. And in our text God is faid to be the Saviour chiefly Tw wswv, of the faithful; which word in its common acceptation denotes all visible members of the Chriftian communion. And for its confirmation we adjoin; the Apoftles at firft, and the Church ever fince after them (except fome heterodox people of late) have profeffed readily to confer holy baptifm, and therein to difpenfe remiffion of fins, together with other evangelical graces and privileges, to every man profeffing his faith in Chrift, and refolution to obferve Chrift's law, upon this fuppofition, that Chrift is the Saviour of all fuch perfons, and by his falutary paffion hath purchased that remiffion for them; although the difpenfers of thefe graces could not difcern what decrees God in his fecret providence had paffed upon them, or what the event fhould be as to their final ftate; yea although ac cording to the judgment of prudence they could not but conceive, that all fuch fhould not be faved, but that many of them fhould be of thofe, who (as the Heb. x. 39. Apoftle to the Hebrews fpeaketh) would draw back unto perdition, who (as St. Peter implies fome might and would do) would forget the purgation, which they had received of their fins. That in thus doing 2 Pet, i. 9. the III. the Church proceeds upon a persuasion that Chrift s E R M. is truly the Saviour of all its visible members, duly admitted and incorporated thereinto, the thing itself. plainly fignifies; the tenor of its practice makes palpable; the forms of fpeech used in its holy adminiftrations (of prayers, of facraments, of exhortations) do fuppofe or exprefs. For how can each member fingly be afferted in holy baptifm to be wafhed from his fins, and fanctified to God, and made regenerate or adopted into the number of God's children, and made partaker of Chrift's death? How can thanksgiving in the common name, in most general terms, be offered up for Chrift's faving performances? Or the holy bread and cup be imparted to each communicant as fymbols and pledges of Christ's charity and mercy towards him? How can every Christian be inftigated to obedience in gratitude to Chrift; and thofe who tranfgrefs Chrift's laws, upbraided for their ingratitude toward him; their rejecting, or renouncing, defpifing, or abufing him and his falvation? How can fuch things be faid and done with any truth or confiftency; yea without forgery and mockery, if every baptized Chriftian hath not an intereft in our Lord's performances; if Christ be the Saviour only of an uncertain and unknown part in the Church? This confideration of the Church's practice hath made even the most vehement affertors of St. Auftin's doctrine (ftrained to the highest pitch) in the more ancient and modeft times, fully to acknowledge this pofition; that Chrift is the Redeemer of every member of the visible Church, as appears by this remarkable decree of the Council of Valentia in France, (confifting of the Bi- Anro 855fhops of three provinces, favourers of Godfcalus's opinions.) We alfo do believe it most firmly to be held, that all the multitude of the faithful, being regenerated by water and the Holy Spirit, and hereby truly incorporated * Item firmiffime tenendum credimus, &c. fupra. E 4 into |