Gospel reconciliation, or, Christ's trumpet of peace to the world wherein is shewed (besides many other gospel truth) ... that there was a breach made between God and man ... to which is added two sermons / by Jeremiah Burroughs.

CHAP. 33. Of Gods Reconciling the world to himselfe.

THE next point being the seventh propounded in the first chapter is: That God was Reconcileng the [World] to himselfe. So the text Saith; and so the Point is. That God hath been reconciling the [World] to himselfe. This which we have in the text heer it is the very same in effect with that we have in John. 3.16. So God loved the [World] that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever beleeved in him should not perish but have Everlasting life.

The world you wil say; how is that? did God recon∣cile al the world, to himselfe?

No, we are therefore to understand this saying here as an indifinite Proposition, and not as if it were an universal Proposition; and the right understanding of this difference between an universal, and an indefinite proposition is of great use to us, both in this, and many other points of divinity. An Universal Proposition, is that, that speaketh so of the general, as it includes every particuler under it, An indefinite Proposition, doth but speake of the general, and not include every particuler under it, but only many. As thus. If one should say, that such a man teacheth al the Children in such a Towne; we do not mean that there is no perticu∣ler Child that is not thaught, for there are infants there;

and there are perhaps some that are not taught at al; but we mean thus; that he teacheth, those Children that are taught; there is none that he excepteth but if they come to him, he wil teach them, he is there ready, and stands prepared to teach them; and in this senss he may be said to teach al the Children in the Town; that is; there is a genneral proposition without a particuler restriction, though every individual is not contayned in it. This now is an Indefinit proposition, or speech. But when we Say a general proposition, then we speek of al par∣ticulers none at al can be excepted, But must come under that proposition: and this wil help us much in other Points of divinity. As in the promise: I will be thy God and the God of thy Seed. We must understand this Promise by the way of an indefinite proposition, and so al understand it that understand it aright. Many that understand not the difference between these two, think they have a strong objection, and say; This promise cannot be made of the godly, for then the Children of the Godly would be godly too. No, it is not an Universal proposition that includeth every parti∣cular, but an indefinite one; that is thus. God, pro∣miseth to be the God of his people, and of their seed; that is, he wil shew mercy to their Seed, rather then to the Seed of others, and he wil rather draw the line of Ele∣ction through their Loyns then through the Loyns of others, he wil take them, not every particular of them, but take them indefinitly, and not reveal which of them he wil take; whether this Person, or that Person indi∣vidually; But he speaks indifinitly; and his meaning is, that those that are the Seed of his people shall be brought into a neerer Pale; into a neerer limit of Gods Grace, then the Seed of others, and he wil be gratious to their Seed, rather then to others. And so here, God saved the World, and reconciled the World, the propo∣sitions are to be understood alike, indefinitely; not that he loveth, or reconcileth every individual Person in the world Even as he is the God of the Seed of the

Saints. It is not to be understood that he is the God of every particular one of them; he is pleased to express himself thus indefinitly, and not generally.