Salus electorum, sanguis Jesu, or, The death of death in the death of Christ a treatise of the redemption and reconciliation that is in the blood of Christ with the merit thereof, and the satisfaction wrought thereby : wherin the proper end of the death of Christ is asserted ... and the whole controversie about universall redemption fully discussed in foure parts, whereof the I. Declareth the eternall counsell, and distinct actuall concurrence of father, sonne, and holy spirit ... 2. Removeth false and supposed ends of the death of Christ ... rightly stating the controversie, 3. Containeth arguments against universall redemption from the word, with an affection of the satisfaction and merit of Christ, 4. Answereth all considerable objections as yet brought to light ... / by John Owen ...

ANSWER.

First, the summe of this Argument is, that those who doe not believe upon the preaching of the Gospell are the causes of their owne ruine and destruction; therefore Jesus Christ dyed for all and every man in the world. Now though it cannot but be appre∣hended, that it is time cast away and labour lost to answer such consequences as these; yet I must adde a few observations, lest any scruple should remaine with the weakest Reader; as first, all have not the Gospell preached to them, nay from the beginning of the world, the greatest part of men have been passed by in the dispen∣sation of the meanes of grace, Rom. 2. Acts winked at: all these then must be left out in this conclusion, which renders it al∣together uselesse to the businesse in hand; for the universality of redemption falls to the ground, if any one soule be not intended in the payment of the ransome. 2. It is not the disbelieving the death of Christ for every individuall soule that ever was or shall be (which to believe is no where in Scripture required) that is the cause of mans destruction, but a not-believing in the all-sufficien∣cy of the passion and oblation of Jesus Christ for sinners, so as to accept of the mercy procured thereby upon those termes and conditions, that it is held forth in the Gospel, which doth not at∣tend the purpose and intention of God, for whom Christ should dye, but the sufficiency and efficacy of his death, for all that receive him in a due manner, he being only the true way, life, and light, no other name being given under heaven whereby men may be saved: it is a loving darknesse rather than light, as in John 3. 19. the place urged in the proofe; which word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, rather there, doth not institute a comparison, between their love of darknesse and light, as though they loved both, but darknesse chiefely; but plainely intimates an opposition unto the love of light, by a full love of darkenesse. And this men are said to doe, which being spoken indefinitely, according to the rules of Interpreting Scripture followed by this Author, should be taken universally, for all men: but we are con∣tented, that it be the most of those men to whom Christ preached,

for some also of them received him, to whom he gave this privi∣ledge that they should become the sonnes of God, John 1. 12. why ye should interpret love here, by choose, as though either the words were equivalent, or the word in the originall would signifie ei∣ther, I can see no reason, for both those are exceeding false. There is a difference between loving and choosing, and as for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 he would be as bad a translator, as ye are an interpreter that should render it they choose. Now what is this loving of darkenesse more than light, but a following, and cleaving in affection and practise to the ways wherein they were, being alienated from the life of God, labouring in the unfruitfull works of darknesse, and refusing to embrace the heavenly doctrine of the gospell, holding forth peace and reconciliation with God through Christ, with life and im∣mortality thereby. To conclude from hence, therefore Christ dyed for all and every man in the world, because the greatest part of them to whom he preached the Gospell did not believe, is a wild kind of reasoning: much better may we inferre, that therefore he dyed not for all men, because it is not given unto them for his sake to believe on him, Phil. 1. 29. Neither will that parenthesis (which how could it be if no light in truth were for them?) give any light to the former inference, for if the word (For) should denote the in∣tention and purpose of God, the truth is, we dare not say, that God intends and purposeth that they should receive light who doe not, lest by so saying we should make the strength of Israel to be like to our selves, and contradict him who hath said, his counsell shall stand and he will doe all his pleasure, Isay 46. 10. that the counsell of the Lord standeth for ever, Psal. 33. 12. he being the Lord and changing not, Mal. 3. 6. James 1. 17. 2 Tim. 2. 19. Rom. 9. 11. If by (for them) ye meane such a stock—and fulnesse of light and grace, as there is of light in the Sun, for all the men in the world, though some be blind and cannot see it, then we say that such a light there is for all in the Gospell, to whom it is preached, and their owne blindnesse is the sole cause of their not receiving it, so that this hath not got the stone a step forward, which still rolls back upon him. Thirdly, The other Scriptures urged have not so much as any colour that should give advantage to consider them, as with any reference to the businesse in hand, that of Jonah. 2. 8. is concerning such as forsake the true God to follow idolls, so forsitting the mercyes temporall and spirituall, which

from the true God they had before received, Rom. 2. 5. speakes of the Gentiles who had the workes of God to teach them; and the patience of God to wait upon them, yet made no other use of them both, than by vile rebellions to adde new degrees of further hardnesse upon their owne heart. That if mens▪ losing their soules, Matth. 16. 26. and destroying themselves (Hos. 13. 9.) by sinne, is of equall force with what went before. But Fourthly, The close of this reason seemes to intimate a further view of the Authour, which at the first view, doth not appeare, viz. that all men are in a restored condition by Christ; not a doore of mercy opened for them all, but that they are all actually restored into grace and favour, from which if they doe not fall, they shall surely be saved; and the argument whereby he proves this is, because being lost in Adam, they could not be said to lose themselves, unlesse they were restored by Christ: being darkenesse and hardnesse in him, unlesse all were enlightened and mollified by Christ, they could not be said to love darknesse, nor to harden them∣selves. Now if this be his intention (as it is too apparent that so it is) I must say something, first, to the argument, secondly, to the thing it selfe. And first, for the argument, it is this, because by originall sinne men are guilty of death and damnation, there∣fore they cannot by actuall sinnes make sure of, and aggravate that condemnation, and so bring upon themselves a death unto death: or because there is a native imbred hardnesse of heart in man, therefore none can adde further degrees of contracted hard∣nesse and induration by actuall rebellions; that because men are blind, therefore they cannot undervalue light, (when indeed the reason why they doe so, is because they are blinde,) that men who have time & opportunity & meanes to save their soules, can∣not be said to lose them, that is to be cōdemned, unless their souls were in a saved condition before. Now this is one of the proofes, which in the close is called plaine and according to Scripture; when indeed nothing can be more contrary to reason, Scripture and the principles of the oracles of God, than this and some o∣ther of them are. I shall adde no more, knowing that no Reader can be so weake as to conceive that the refusing of a proposed re∣medy accompanied with infinit other despights done to the Lord, is not sufficient to make men guilty of their owne condemnati∣on, I speake of those, that enjoy the preaching of the Gospell. Secondly, For the thing it selfe, or an actuall restauration of all

men by Christ into such a state, as is intimated, as they had at the first in Adam (I meane in respect of Covenant not inno∣cency) which I take to be the meaning of the Author, and that because in another place he positively affirmes that it is so, and that all are justified by Christ, though how it should be so, he is not able to declare. To this then I say, first, that there is nothing in the Scripture that should give the least colour to this grosse er∣rour, nor can any thing be produced so much as probably sound∣ing that way. Secondly, It is contrary, first, to very many places, affirming that we are dead in trespasses and sinnes, Ephes. 2. 1. that unlesse we be borne againe, we cannot see the Kingdome of God, Joh. 3. 3. that untill we come by faith to Christ, the wrath of God abideth on us, John 3. 36. with those innumerable places which discover the universall alienation of all men from God, untill actuall peace and reconciliation be made through Christ. Thirdly, To the ve∣ry nature and essence of the new covenant of grace, proceeding from the free mercy of God to his Elect, carryed along with dist∣inguishing promises from the first, putting a difference betweene the seed of the woman and between the seed of the serpent, as well in the members, as in the head, to the last of them, being effective and really working every good thing it, promised in and to∣wards all to whom it doth belong (which certainely it doth not in all) being every where said to be made with the people of God, or those whom he will owne in opposition to the world, of all which and divers other things, so plentifully affirmed of it in the Scripture, not one can be true, if all men receive a restaura∣tion by Christ into covenant. Thirdly, To the eternall purpose of God in election and reprobation, of which the latter is a reso∣lution to leave men in their fallen condition without any re∣paration by Christ. Fourthly, It is attended with very many strange absurd groundlesse consequences: as first, that all infants dying before they come to the use of reason, and the commit∣ing of actuall sinne, must necessarily be saved, (although our Saviour hath said, that unlesse a man be borne againe he cannot see the Kingdome of God, John 3. 3, and Paul from him, that the children of infidells are uncleane, 1 Cor. 7. 14. Now noe uncleane thing shall enter the new Jerusalem. Rev. 21. 17.) whereby, the infants of Turkes, Pagans, Infidels, Persecutours, are placed in a farre more happy condition than the Apostles of Christ, if they depart in their infancy than the best of believers, who are not (according

to the Authours of this doctrine) out of danger of eternall pe∣rishing. Secondly, That there is no more required of any to be saved, then a continuance in the estate, wherein he was borne, (that is in covenant actually restored by Christ thereunto,) when the whole word of God cryeth out, that all such as so abide shall certainely perish everlastingly. Thirdly, That every one that pe∣risheth in the whole world, falls away from the grace of the new Covenant, though the promises thereof are, that there shall ne∣ver be any totall falling away of them that are in Covenant. Fourthly, That none can come unto Christ, but such as have in their owne persons fallen from him, for all others abide in him. Innumerable other such consequences as these, doe necessarily attend this false hereticall assertion, that is so absolutely de∣structive to the free grace of God. I doubt not but such proofes as these, will make considering men further search into the matter intended to be proved, and yeild them good advantages to disco∣ver the wretched lye of the whole. Fifthly, To the last words of the proofe I answer, that God sowed that seed in Adam, and watered it with innumerable temporall blessings towards all, and spirituall in some, whose fruit he will come to require from the world of unbelievers, and not in the bloud of Jesus Christ, any further, than as it it hath been certainely proposed to some of them and despised.