held and maintained by those that are contrary minded in the present controversy) viz. as persons with whom God is so far from being angry or displeased, that he is pleased by absolute purpose or decree to confer eternal life upon them. Therefore certainly God cannot be said by any act whatsoever to reconcile himself, or render himself propitious unto these.
But now, by the world, we understand the great bulk or body of men in the world, with whom God is, and may truly and properly enough be said to be displeased for their sins. So he may be said to reconcile himself unto them; at least if by a reconciling, we mean such an act, by which he takes a course, or useth means, to bring himself into a complacency, or love of friendship with them, as when a father useth means to recover his son of the phrensy, or plague. It is true, a father loves his son with a benevolous affection, or with a love of pity, as we commonly call it, even whilst he is under a phrensy, and hath the plague upon him.
But he takes no pleasure in his company, doth not delight to converse with him as with a friend, bestows nothing upon him at the present, but only in order to his recovery; and in the case by all that he doth for him in this kind, he cannot recover him, he never proceeds to settle his inheritance upon him. But when and whilst he doth that which is proper to recover him, out of such distempers, he may be said, in this sense, to do an act whereby to reconcile himself to his son, viz. to make way for himself to take pleasure in his company, and to converse with him and to deal further by him as a friend.
In like manner it is as true that God cannot properly or according to the usual sense or signification of the word, be said to do any act whereby to reconcile himself to the world in general, much less to his elect in particular, because he always bears a benevolous affection to it, as appears, John iii. 16, the Scripture lately opened. So again, Tit. iii. 4, and elsewhere, he was never so far angry or offended with the world, but that he seriously and affectionately sought the good of it; yet in such a sense or consideration wherein, notwithstanding his affection or benevolence or commiseration towards it, he is said to be angry with men for their sins, and to hate them for their wickedness, and to resolve to destroy them everlastingly if they repent not, he may be said to do such an act, whereby to reconcile himself unto it, as, viz., when he doth that by which he is like to take men off from their sins, and to bring them to repentance; and consequently to cause his own anger and hatred towards them for their sins to cease.
But however, this is not the primary or direct sense of the phrase in the Scripture in hand, as was formerly intimated, but only that which follows upon it. For God by seeking to reconcile the world unto himself, in the former sense, takes a course likewise to reconcile himself unto it, in the latter. But take either the one interpretation or the other, there is no colour or pretence, by the “world,” to understand the elect only.
If it be objected and said: Yea, but God is here said to be “in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing the trespasses unto them.” Doth not this imply that God reconciles none unto himself but those only, to whom he doth not impute their trespasses or sins? Now it is certain that God doth impute their sins unto all men, his elect only excepted; therefore he reconciles none unto himself in Christ but these only. To this I answer.
1. By concession, it is true, God doth actually, and in the event reconciles none unto himself by Christ, i.e. he brings no man to faith and repentance, but withal he forgives him his sins; or, which is the same, he imputes not his trespasses unto him. But,
By way of exception, I answer further, that it was no part of the apostle’s intent in this place to speak of any spiritual or inward act of God, by which particular men are actually, and de facto converted or reconciled unto him, and consequently obtain forgiveness, or a non-imputation of their sins; but only concerning that great and gracious dispensation or act of grace, together with his counsel or project therein, in which or whereby he did, as it were, posture himself, and take a standing with the best advantage to save the world. For this end and purpose, I mean for the saving of the world or of men, upon such terms as he was willing, and as only became him to save them, it was necessary, (a.) That he should reconcile them unto himself. It was no ways convenient for God, as neither consisting with his wisdom nor holiness, to take those into part and fellowship with himself in his own blessedness and glory, who should hate him and be full of enmity and hard thoughts against him, and would not admit of terms of reconciliation with him. (b.) To effect this reconciliation, and to bring men over unto him in love, who generally through a consciousness of guilt, contracted by their evil works, and because of that contrariety between his holy laws, and their lusts and vile dispositions, hated him, it was necessary that he should take a course, and have a means suitable and proper, and which every ways honored a God of infinite wisdom. Now this course or means the apostle here expesseth to be, the non-imputation of their sins unto them, i.e. the tender, offer, or promise of the forgiveness of all their sins, upon the reconcilement.
God, by the proposal and tender of such and incomparable grace, favour, and blessing as this unto men, upon such sweet and gracious terms, makes account to reconcile the world unto himself, to bring off his creature, man, from hatred and hard thoughts, to a love and honourable esteem of him. (c.) and lastly, to put himself into a way of capacity of making so rich and glorious a proposal as this of forgiveness of sins unto the world, he put himself, as it were, into his Christ; or, as our apostle’s expression is, he was in Christ; meaning, that that which God did, or intended to do, by his being in Christ, as mediator, was immediately and in reference unto a further end, that by means of his death he might offer free pardon and forgiveness of sins unto the world; mediately, and as more principally intended, that he might, by means of this offer, reconcile the world unto himself, i.e. prevail with men to repent of their sins, and turn in faith and love unto him.
Evident it is from the very letter of the context, that the apostle’s intent in this Scripture was only to express and declare the tenor or purport of the gospel, or, as he calls it, of that word of reconciliation, the ministry whereof, he saith, in the end of the verse, was committed unto him. Do but read in the former verse to this, and you will clearly see it: “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given unto us the ministry of the reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling,” &c. As if he should say, he hath given unto us the ministry of that reconciliation, the tenor, substance, or purport whereof is this, viz., or to wit, “that God was in Christ reconciling,” &c. So that here is nothing at all affirmed, or intended to be spoken concerning men actually or effectually reconciled or brought home unto God, or what their privileges are, in one kind or other; but only to show how or by what means God hath projected or contrived the reconciling of men to himself, which is expressed to be, as hath been said, by the message or doctrine of forgiveness of sins, sent and preached unto them by Christ.
Nor are the best and most confessedly orthodox of our reformed divine, dissenters from the interpretation given of the Scripture in hand, especially as concerning the sense and import of the word world. “God,” saith Musculus upon the place, “inhabiting his Son Christ, and directing him in all things, reconciled unto himself not us only, but even the world, i.e., all mankind, which was, is, or shall be from the beginning of the world to the end thereof, by giving his Son unto death for all men.” And soon after: “It is most true which the apostle saith, that God reconciled the world unto himself in Christ, not imputing their sins unto them as concerning the work itself of reconciliation, being prepared or made ready for all mankind, and sufficient for them.” Calvin also, though altogether so expressly as the former, yet with clearness enough, secondeth the same interpretation, writing on the place thus: “But the fuller and richer sense is, that God was in Christ, and then, that he reconciled the world unto himself.” And a little after, “To what purpose then did God appear in Christ unto men? For reconciliation, that they who were strangers might be adopted for sons.” If this were the end of the reconciliation for which God appeared in Christ unto men, that they who were strangers might be adopted for sons, it must needs follow, that the end which God propounded unto himself in this reconciliation, was the adoption of all men without exception, inasmuch as all men were strangers unto
