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fit to maintain such divinity. And so much for the first argument.

'Those for whom Jesus Christ and his apostles in plain terms, without any exception or restraint affirm, that Christ came to save, and to that end died, and gave himself a ransom for, and is a propitiation for the sin he certainly did come to save, and gave himself a ransom for them, and is the propitiation for their sins; Matt. xxvi. 24. 1 Cor. xv. 3, 4. Heb. x. 7. John viii. 38. 45. 2 Pet. i. 16. Heb. ii. 3, 4.

John vi. 38.

'But Jesus Christ and his apostles have in plain terms affirmed, that Christ came to save sinners; 1 Tim. i. 5. The world; John iii. 17. That he died for the unjust; 1 Pet. iii. 18. The ungodly; Rom. v. 6. For every man; Heb. ii. 9. Gave himself a ransom for all men; 1 Tim. ii. 6. And is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world; 1 John ii. 2, And every of these affirmations without any exception or restraint all being unjust, ungodly, sinners, and men, and of the world; Rom. iii. 10. 19, 20. 23. Eph. ii. 1-3. Tit. iii. 3. John iii. 4. 6.

Therefore Jesus Christ came to save, died, and gave himself a ransom for, all men, and is the propitiation for their sins; John i. 29.'

To the proposition of this argument I desire only to observe, that we do not affirm that the Scripture doth in any place, lay an exception or restraint upon those persons for whom Christ is said to die, as though in one place it should be affirmed he died for all men, and in another some exception against it, as though some of those all men were excluded; which were to feign a repugnancy and contradiction in the word of God. Only we say one place of Scripture interprets another, and declares that sense, which before in one place was ambiguous and doubtful. For instance, when the Scripture sheweth that Christ died or gave himself a ransom for all, we believe it; and when in another place he declares, that all to be his church, his elect, his sheep, all believers, some of all sorts, out of all kindreds, and nations, and tongues, under heaven, this is not to lay an exception or restraint upon what was said of all before, but only to declare that the all for which he gave himself for a ransom, were all his church, all his elect, all his sheep, some of all sorts, and

so we believe that he died for all. With this observation we let pass the proposition, taking out its meaning as well as the phrase where it is expressed will afford it; together with the vain flourish and pompous show of many texts of Scripture brought to confirm it, whereof not one is any thing to the purpose; so that I am persuaded he put down names and figures at a venture, without once consulting the texts, having no small cause to be confident, that none would trace him in his flourish, and yet that some eyes might dazzle at his supernumerary quotations. Let me desire the reader to turn to those places, and if any one of them be any thing to the purpose or business in hand, let the author's credit be of weight with him another time. O let us not be as many who corrupt the word of God. But perhaps it is a mistake in the impression: and for Matt. xxvi. 24. he intends ver. 28. where Christ is said to shed his blood for many; in John vi. he mistook ver. 38. for 39. where our Saviour affirms that he came to save that which his Father gave him, that none should be lost, which certainly are the elect. In 1 Cor. v. 3, 4. he was not much amiss; the apostle conjoining in those verses the death and resurrection of Christ, which he saith was for us; and how far this advantageth his cause in hand, we have before declared. By Heb. x. 7. suppose he meant ver. 10, of the chapter, affirming that by the will of God, which Christ came to do, we are sanctified, even through the offering of the body of Jesus, ascribing our sanctification to his death, which is not effected in all and every one; though perhaps he may suppose the last clause of the verse, once for all,' to make for him; but some charitable man I hope will undeceive him, by letting him know the meaning of the word ipának. The like may be observed of the other places, that in them is nothing at all to the proposition in hand, and nigh them at least is enough to evert it; and so his proposition, in sum, is, all those for whom the Scripture affirms that Christ did die, for them he died, which is true, and, doubtless, granted.

The assumption affirms, that Christ and his apostles in the Scriptures, say that he died to save sinners, unjust, ungodly, the world, all, whereupon the conclusion ought barely to be, Therefore Christ died for sinners, unjust, ungodly, the world, and the like. To which we say, first, That this is

the very same argument for substance, with that which went before, as also are some of those that follow, only some words are varied to change the outward appearance, and so to make show of a number. Secondly, That the whole strength of this argument lies in turning indefinite propositions into universals; concluding that because Christ died for sinners, that therefore he died for all sinners; because he died for the unjust, ungodly, and the world, that therefore he died for every one that is unjust, or ungodly, and for every one in the world; because he died for all, therefore for all and every one of all sorts of men. Now if this be good arguing, I will furnish you with some more such arguments, against you have occasion to use them. First, 'God justifieth the ungodly;' Rom. iv. 5. Therefore he justifieth every one that is ungodly. Now whom he justifieth he glorifieth, and therefore every ungodly person shall be glorified. Secondly, 'When Christ came, men loved darkness more than light; John iii. 19. therefore all men did so and so none believed. Thirdly, 'The world knows not Christ;' John i. 10. therefore no man in the world knows him. Fourthly, 'The whole world lies in evil;' 1 John v. therefore every one in the world doth so. Such arguments as these by turning indefinite propositions into universals, I could easily furnish you withal for any purpose that you will use them to. Thirdly, If you extend the words in the conclusion, no farther than the intention of them, in the places of Scripture recited in the assumption, we may safely grant the whole, viz. that Christ died for sinners and the world, for sinful men in their several generations living therein; but if you intend a universality collective of all, in the conclusion then the syllogism is sophistical and false; no place of Scripture affirming so much that is produced. The assignation of the object of the death of Christ in them, being in terms indefinite, receiving light and clearness, for a more restrained sense, in those places where they are expounded to be meant of all his own people, and the children of God scattered throughout the world.

Fourthly, For particular places of Scripture urged; 1 Tim. i. 15. 1 Pet. iii. 18. Rom. v. 6. in the beginning of the assumption, and not at all to the purpose in hand, 1 John iii. 17. Heb. ii. 9. 1 John ii. 2. have been already considered; Rom. iii. 10. 19. 23. Eph. ii. 1-3. Tit. iii. 3. John

iii. 4. Added in the close of the same proposition, prove that all are sinners and children of wrath; but of Christ's dying for all sinners, or for all those children of wrath, there is not the least intimation; and this may suffice to answer to the two first arguments, which might easily be retorted upon the author of them; the Scripture being full and plain to the confirmation of the position which he intends to oppose.

"That which the Scripture layeth forth as one end of the death of Christ, and one ground and cause of God's exalting Christ to be the Lord and Judge of all, and of the equity of his judging, that is certainly to be believed; Psal. xii. 1. xviii. 130. cxix. 40.

'But the Scripture layeth forth this for one end of the death and resurrection of Christ, That he might be the Lord of all; Rom. xiv. 9. 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. And for that cause (even his death and resurrection) hath God exalted him to be the Lord and Judge of all men, and his judgments shall be just; Rom. xiv. 9. 11, 12. 2 Cor. v. 10. Phil. ii. 7. 11. Acts xvii. 31. Rom. ii. 16.

Therefore that Christ so died, and rose again for all, is a truth to be believed. 1 Tim. ii. 6, 7.'

The unlearned framing of this argument, the uncouth expressions of the thing intended, and failing in particulars by the by, being to be ascribed to the person and not the cause, I shall not much trouble myself withal. As, 1. To his artificial regularity in bringing his minor proposition, viz. Christ being made Lord and Judge of all, into the major, so continuing one term in all three propositions, and making the whole almost unintelligible. Secondly, His interpreting, 'for this cause God exalted Christ,' to be his death and resurrection; when his resurrection, wherein he was declared to be the Son of God with power, Rom. i. 4. was a glorious part of his exaltation. To examine and lay open the weakness and folly of innumerable such things as these, which every where occur, were to be lavish of precious moments. Those that have the least taste of learning or the way of reasoning, do easily see their vanity; and for the rest, especially the poor admirers of these foggy sophisms, I shall not say, 'quoniam hoc populus vult decipi, decipiantur;' but God give them understanding and repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth.

Secondly, To this whole argument as it lies before us, I

have nothing to say, but only to entreat Master More, that if the misery of our times should be calling upon him to be writing again, that he would cease expressing his mind by syllogisms, and to speak in his own manner, which by its confusion in innumerable tautologies may a little puzzle his reader. For truly this kind of arguing here used, for want of logic whereby he is himself deceived, and delight in sophistry whereby he deceiveth others, is exceedingly ridiculous; for none can be so blind but that at first reading of the argument, he will see that he asserts and infers that in the conclusion, strengthening it with a new testimony, which was not once dreamed of in either of the premises; they speaking of the exaltation of Christ to be Judge of all, which refers to his own glory; the conclusion of his dying for all, which necessarily aims at and intends their good. Were it not a noble design to banish all human learning, and to establish such a way of arguing in the room thereof. Hoc Ithacus nollet hoc magno mercentur Atridæ.'

Thirdly, The force and sum of the argument is this; Christ died and rose again that he might be Lord and Judge of all; therefore Christ died for all. Now ask, what he means by dying for all, and the whole treatise answers, that it is a paying a ransom for them all that they might be saved. Now how this can be extorted out of Christ's dominion over all, with his power of judging all committed to him, which also is extended to the angels for whom he died not; let them that can understand it rejoice in their quick apprehension, I confess it flies my thoughts.

Fourthly, The manner of arguing being so vain, let us see a little whether there be any more weight in the matter of the argument. Many texts of Scripture are heaped up, and distributed to the several propositions. In those out of Psal. xii. 6. xviii. 30. (as I suppose it should be, not 130. as it is printed) cxix. 4. there is some mention of the precepts of God, with the purity of his word, and perfection of his word, which that they are any thing to the business in hand I cannot perceive; that of 1 Tim. ii. 6. added to the conclusion, in one of those places which are brought forth upon every occasion, as being the supposed foundation of the whole assertion, but causelessly, as hath been shewed oft. Those which are annexed to the minor propo