Now for Anfwer to this, how weak a pretence fuch a cold defire of all Men's Salvation is to ground that praife and Eulogy which is afcribed to God, when he is recognized as the Saviour in Common, that will have all Men to be faved, may appear by confidering these particulars.

1. That this good-will refting here and proceeding no further than the Propounding Salvation to Men, and putting them on the ufe of the means to attain the fame, never yet faved any one Soul, no not of the Ele&t themfelves, And

2. God hath not been Sparing to tell and instruct Men, in this that they are Dead in Trefpaffes and Sins, that without Chrift they can do nothing, and that every good and perfect Gift comes down from above, that they must be born again, born of the Spirit, that Faith itself whereby we receive all, is the gift of God; therefore the will of God that all Men be Saved cannot reft, cannot be shut up in fuch ftrait powerlefs Bounds of commanding, and fetting them upon the ufe of means to open their own blind Eyes, and change their own naughty Hearts. Hear what St. James faith of things more in the power of Men themselves than these things are, which are not in the leaft, nor ever were in the power of Creature, Jam. 2. 15, 16. If any fee a Brother or Sifter naked, and def titute of daily food: and one of you fay to them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed, and filled: notwithflanding ye give them not thofe things which are needful for the Body; what doth it profit? Yet Men may work, and by their Labour in fome cafes earn what they need for these temporal things, but there is no poffibility of recovering ourfelves to Life, and faving our own Souls by any Power of Nature, or the Law, or by the Letter of the Gofpel, Therefore God's will that all Men be Saved, refts not in fuch things as thefe, in pitying Men, and wishing

wifhing it better with them, this is not a Love for Omnipotency, this is not a Good-will for Him that is the God of Grace, that is Love itself, this were less than the Love of the Samaritan to the wounded Traveller; nay, for ought I know, than the Love of the Prieft, or the Levite that paffed by him; they had as much Love as this. God is an Eternal act of Goodness, Love, and Sweetness, that carries his Effect and End Eternally in himself, and tho' there be a procefs in the discovery of this Love to us, yet in its firft and Eternal emanation and motion, (if we may fo fpeak) he is in the term of his motion. For he hath and poffeffeth the term Eternally in himfelf, and whom he Loves, he Loves to the end, Loves fully, perfectly, furnishing and fupplying all things to the End of his Love richly, freely, intirely, out of himself, tho' he inriches, imbellishes this his Work, this his Love, with all the riches, the fulness, the variety, the darkeft, the fableft contrariety of the Fall, the Curfe, and Wrath, yet thofe contraries tempered, fubdued, reconciled, all to a moft delightful, blissful Harmony in the close.

3. The Will of God, and his Work are one, God wills nothing but he works it, who worketh all Things after the Counsel of his own Will, Eph. i. 1I. for he wills nothing but with Counsel, though he go for no Counsel out of himself, but his own Will is his Counfel; but the meaning is, that every thing that God wills, ftands upon Grounds of the moft abfolute Wisdom and Prudence; that if a Council were called of all Creatures, nay of all the Attributes of God, better Advice could not be given or taken; no wonder then if what is fo deliberated and refolved be accordingly pursued to effect and put in Execution, being the refult of fuch a Counfel, even the Counsel of him whofe Will is Caunfel, hath all Counsel in it, that is fo perfect that nothing can be added to it; therefore his Word is his Work, he fpake and it was done,

he is the Rock, and his Work is perfect; for all his Ways are Judgment, a God of Truth, and without Iniquity, juft and right is he, Deut. xxxii. 4 The Sum of this Evidence is, that God wills that all Men be faved, this Will is the Will of an Omnipotent and Sincere Agent, an immanent and eternal Will, eternally in Act, that hath its end in its own Power, yea in his Arms and Embraces, and neither can, nor could ever be refifted. And upon the account of this his Will, he requires us to pray for and feek the Spiritual and Eternal Good of all, which we cannot do as we ought, without the help of his Spirit, who fearcheth the deep Things of God, and maketh Interceffion in us according to that Will, and therefore would not move in any thing, (and so not in this desire of the Salvation of all Men) were it not according to the Will of God, nor would the Saints find acceptance with God in fuch Requefts, were they otherwife; which yet God hath declared they do, faying, This is acceptable in the Sight of God our Saviour, who upon the account of willing the Salvation of all Men, is recognized by this Title of Saviour, the common Saviour. So much for this Text, this is the firft Witnefs.

CHA P. II.

Farther Evidence of this Hypothefis, from the Confideration of the Unity of God.

T

HE following Verfes will make further Evidence to us of this Truth, for there is one God, and one Mediator between God and Man, the Man Chrift Jefus, who gave himself a Ramfom for all, a Teftimony, for its proper Times, for fo

the

the Words are rather to be read, than as in our Tranflation.

I intended first to produce what Evidence might be afforded from plain Texts and Authorities, before I came to the Argumentative Texts and Deductions, and to have drawn forth my Proofs in this order; firft to fhew how God the Father ftands engaged and affected in this Cause, and then Chrift the Son and Mediator. But for as much as these Verfes follow upon the former, and both receive Luftre from them, as alfo reflect back a Luftre upon them, let us without adjourning them to another Place and Time, hear their Evidence presently.

1. We have the Unity of God making Evidence in this Caufe, there is One God, for there is one God.

2. The Unity of the Mediator; and there is one Mediator between God and Man, who gave bimfelf, &c.

3.

The Extent and Univerfality of his Ranfom; which was for every Man..

4. A tacit Objectión obviated and prevented, from the apprehended Novelty of this Truth, not apprehended in any times heretofore.

I. To begin with the firft, The Unity of God: (for there is one God.) Why is this brought? The Queftion may be, whether to engage us to pray for all Men, or whether to prove that he will have all Men to be faved, or whether for both thefe Ends.?

I fhall not lofe time to difpute it, but if it prove the latter, viz. for that God will have all Men to be faved, then it ex abundanti, and into the Bargain proves and engages to the Duty of Praying for all Men. Now this will appear in the opening the Force of this Argument, for there is one God, which we may get fome Knowledge of from other Places where this Argument is used, as Rom. iii. 29. is he the God of the Jews only,

C 3

and

We

and not of the Gentiles? yes of the Gentiles also, feeing it is one God that juftifieth the Circumcifion by Faith, and the Uncircumcifion through Faith. may read the Words thus, Is there a God of the Jews only, or have the Jews only a God, have not the Gentiles a God alfo? yea fure, and the fame God: and therefore the Apoftle concludes the fame Juftification to be extended to the one as to the other. So likewife, Gal. iii. 20. when the Apoftle would fhew that the Law, which was 430 Years after the Promife, cannot difannul or make void the Promife made fo long before, useth this Argument, that God is one. Wherefore then ferveth the Law? It was added because of Tranfgref fion, untill the feed fhould come to whom the Promife was made, and it was ordained by Angels in the Hand of a Mediator; now a Mediator is not a Mediator of one, but God is one. In both these Places the Apoftle rifeth up to a Confideration of God in his fupreme and abfolute Unity above Law or Mediator, or any Divifion of People or Seeds founded thereon. In which abfoluteness God is not obliged to give any Account of himself, or any of his Matters, may do with his own what he will. And this Abfoluteness and Supremacy of his Will is fo exercised by him, not as by the Tyrants of this World, to the inthralling, oppreffing, to the hurt or hindrance of his Creatures, but to the Relief and higheft Security of them; and cannot be otherwife, from his Nature, that is Goodness itself, and is ultimum Refugium, the laft and moft fure Retreat and Refuge of the Creature, when it feels itself loft all other ways, as that which will raife it again.

When I fay this Unity and Abfolutenefs of God tranfcends the Confideration of a Mediator, as well as the Law, I defire to be understood in no other Senfe than the Scripture itself speaks, which is a qualified Senfe, viz. as the Mediator fuppofes a Breach and Distance between God and Man, by reafon