like reason we cannot pray to God that he would convert any unbelievers to the faith, or that he would bring any wicked men to repentance, with a full persuasion that he can do that which we ask, because what he hath secretly decreed concerning these things before the foundation of the world is concealed from us.

Thirdly, and lastly, Because if nothing else is judged possible to be done, except those things which God hath decreed to be done, it would follow that the Divine power is not infinite. That power is finite which is equalized with finite effects, and is wholly drawn out into its own act. Since as Hales rightly observes, (Part. 1. qu. 21) Infinite power may be drawn out into its act, but not the whole of it. Therefore, God can do many things which he will not, as for instance, he can give faith to justify, and save any individual person whatever. Yea, he can will many things which he does not will; and yet his will cannot in any way be either new or mutable. But although he could will what he never hath willed, yet he cannot will unwillingly, or with a new will, but only with an eternal will. For he can

will what he could have willed from eternity. For he has the power of willing, both now and from eternity, that which nevertheless he neither does now will, nor hath willed from eternity. Thus Lombard hath rightly remarked (Lib. 1, Dist. 43. Litera E.)

We have thought that these things should be discussed rather at length, that it may more plainly appear that the death of Christ is applicable to any man living, because the condition of faith and repentance is possible to any living person, the secret decree of predestination or preterition in no wise hindering or confining this power either on the part of God, or on the part of men. They act, therefore, with little consideration who endeavour, by the decrees of secret election and preterition, to overthrow the universality of the death of Christ, which pertains to any persons whatsoever according to the tenor of the evangelical covenant. Thus much we have said respecting our second proposition. Let us proceed to the third.

CHAPTER V.

THE THIRD PROPOSITION IS STATED, ILLUSTRATED, AND CONFIRMED.

WE have now discussed our two first propositions, in which we have explained in what sense the death of Christ is to be acknowledged as an universal cause of salvation to mankind; and it has also been shewn, that they do not rightly understand the commonly received axiom of Divines, That Christ died for all sufficiently, but for the elect effectually, who, while they admit the mere sufficiency of the thing considered in itself, yet at the same time exclude its ordained sufficiency, which pertains through the will of God to all men individually, according to the tenor of the Evangelical covenant, under the possible condition of faith. But since, on the other hand, some are found who improperly extend this universal virtue and ordination of the death of Christ, which is to be considered on this account alone, viz. because Christ offered himself upon the cross for all mankind; a third proposition is to be added, which may define the limits to which it extends itself, and beyond which this universal virtue of the death of Christ, which embraces the whole human race, and which arises from the passion of Christ alone, considered without respect to any other medium, does not extend itself.

The third proposition is as follows;

The death or passion of Christ, as the universal cause of the salvation of mankind, hath, by the act of its oblation, so far rendered God the Father pacified and reconciled to the human race, that he can be truly said to be ready to receive into favour any man whatever, as soon as he shall believe in Christ; yet the aforesaid death of Christ does not place any one, at least of

adults, in a state of grace, of actual reconciliation, or of salvation, before he believes.

Of this proposition there are two members, which we shall handle separately and confirm by arguments, when we have premised a few remarks concerning the word reconciliation for the clearer understanding of the whole business. It is to be observed then, that God being offended at the sin of man, not only deprived him of his paternal favour and adjudged him to eternal death; but, moreover, irrevocably decreed that he would on no account ever be reconciled to us, whatsoever we might at any time either do or suffer of ourselves. As the displeasure of God was contained in these two steps as it were, so our reconciliation is accomplished by two others, answering to these, as it were, on the opposite side. The first step of reconciliation is then understood to be made, as soon as that is done, although not by us, yet in our name, by which the Divine will is inclined, so that he is now willing to return into favour with us, on the performance of some certain condition, and to bestow remission of sins and eternal life. We affirm that this step to reconciliation is procured for all men by the virtue and merit of the sufferings of Christ, without any other medium. And hence it is (as we have noticed above) that the death of Christ exhibits the redemption or reconciliation of the whole world: God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, (2 Cor. v. 19.) On which opinion Prosper says (Ad Capit. Gallor. obj. 9), The Redeemer of the world gave his blood for the world, &c. See also Augustine's Epistles, 151, 171, 173. This reconciliation of the world is, therefore, as it were the first step to the actual reconciliation of individuals, to none of whom would an access to this Divine favour have been opened under the condition of faith, unless it had come to pass that God had been in some way reconciled to the human race by the death of Christ. The latter step to reconciliation consists in this, and is judged to be acquired by any individual person when, the condition of faith in Christ being performed, he is received into the paternal favour of God, he is justified, and is presented with an hereditary

right to eternal life. To this latter step no one comes by the work of Christ alone, by his having offered up himself on the cross to God the Father; but it is necessary, before he obtains this actual reconciliation, to add the act or work of the man himself believing in Christ the Redeemer, and applying the merit of his death to himself individually by faith. To this may be referred John viii. 24, If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Therefore the death of Christ does not deliver from death, nor actually reconcile to God any individual person, except he believe.

Having made this distinction or explanation of the word reconciliation, let us return to our proposed thesis, the first member of which, to be confirmed by us in the first place, is thus expressed: By the act of the death of Christ, God is so far reconciled to every man, that he is ready to admit any one into favour, and moreover, to eternal life, if he should only believe. We shall discuss this matter in the fewer words, because all that we have said respecting the universal covenant confirmed by the death of Christ, on condition of faith, has regard to this subject. We shall, nevertheless, add some remarks.

First, then, the very tenor of our preaching of the Gospel demonstrates this. For what else do we preach to wicked men, and those who are as yet unbelieving, but that it has been brought about by the death of Christ, that the will of God is far different towards the human race, than it would have been without this death? In other words, that just God who, without the blood of the Mediator, breathed nothing else than wrath and death against us all individually, being now pacified by the blood of the Redeemer, is ready to grant pardon and life to all individually who humble themselves before him and believe in the Mediator. God would never have commanded his ministers to preach this to mankind promiscuously, unless he had been really so disposed in mind; since the Gospel is the word of truth, (Col. i. 5) because it announces nothing false or vain to sinners. But it pronounces and promises that God is so far pacified by the efficacy of the blood of Christ shed

embrace any sinner Therefore, the un

upon the cross, that he is ready to whenever he shall repent and believe. reasonable speculation of election and reprobation being set aside, the aforesaid efficacy of the death of Christ as to all men individually ought to be acknowledged, and to be preached to all promiscuously.

Secondly. The actual reconciliation of every individual person, which is promised and exhibited to every one that believeth, on account of the merit of Christ crucified, presupposes the first degree of reconciliation; by which God is understood to be so pacified by the death of Christ, that he is now willing, on the performance of the condition of faith, to restore any sinner to his favour. Those therefore who confess that any person, however loaded with sins, as soon as he believes is received into favour on account of the death and merit of Christ, ought not to deny that this is effected by the death of Christ as to all men individually, that they may account God to be ready, yea, obliged to grant this benefit to any one on the aforesaid condition. The antecedent is confirmed, because we cannot conceive that the act of reconciliation proceeds, or is terminated as it were, by a perpetual law, in any person who believes at the very moment in which he apprehends the Mediator by a true faith, unless at the same time we suppose and acknowledge the Divine will to be so prepared and predisposed, by the death of Christ, that he is inclined to grant this favour to any person, provided he should believe. I perceive that this propensity or readiness of the Divine. will to grant pardon and grace to any man, as soon as he should perform the condition of faith, is expressed by some persons by the word placability or reconciliability. Why some Divines so superciliously reject this placability or reconciliability, obtained by the passion of Christ, considered in itself alone, I do not understand. For God would not be actually pacified and reconciled to any man, as soon as he should believe, that is, on the performance of the condition of faith, unless he were placable and reconcileable to any man before he should believe, that is, when the condition of faith should be performed.