in him, either naturally and in respect of his mere person, or by way of purchase and procurement, i. e. by means of his death. No man, I presume will affirm the former, as, viz. that there is salvation in Christ for any man, in respect of his mere nature or person; or howsoever, himself plainly denies it: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John xii. 24. If there be no salvation in him for men but by purchase, and this with his blood, then hath he no more salvation in him than what he thus purchased; no man hath anything more by purchase than what he hath bought or purchased. Therefore, if Christ hath salvation in him for all men without exception, he must have purchased or bought it for them with his blood. If so, he must either purchase more than he intended, or else intended to purchase salvation for all and every man. And what is this, without any parable, but to die intentionally for all men? Therefore the distinction of Christ dying sufficiently for all men, but not intentionally, is ridiculous, and unworthy from first to last of any intelligent or considering man.
Nor is that distinction, because it relates to the subject-matter of our present chapter, so emphatically insisted upon by Mr. Rutherford, of much better import. “That eternal life,” saith he, “should be offered unto all and every individual man, upon condition of faith; and that life should be offered unto all and every individual man, out of an intent on God’s part to give life unto them in case they believe, are two sayings widely different.”2 For, doubtless, the latter hath every whit as much truth in it, yea, every whit as much clear and pregnant truth in it as the former, yea, hath in effect one and the same truth. For when God offers eternal life unto all and every individual man, upon condition of faith, is it not his intention that they should have eternal life upon their faith, or in case they should believe? If not, then in such an offer he should offer and promise that which he intends not to give or perform, no not according to the tenor of his promise. If it be said, in favour of the distinction: Though God intends to give eternal life to all and every individual man, upon condition they believe, this being the express tenor of his offer or promise, yet it follows not that such an intention in him should be his reason or ground of tendering such an offer or promise unto them.
Unto this I answer, that if this were the intent of the author, I mean to differentiate the latter proposition from the former in point of error or falsehood, upon this account, because the latter supposeth such an intention, as that mentioned, in God, to be the adequate reason or motive why he tenders such an offer or promise unto them, I should not much gainsay, because, I suppose, that God hath indeed other reasons, and these of greater weight, why he makes a tender of salvation unto all men upon condition of faith, than his intention of giving salvation unto them in case they shall believe. Yea, I do not conceive that either God or men do anything which they intend, simply out of their intentions thereof, or because they intend it, but out of a desire to effect, or to procure the effecting of it, or because they desire it.
But that the author’s meaning in pleading the said latter proposition of error was far differing from this, appears sufficiently by the account which himself gives hereof in the sequel of his discourse. From this account it clearly appears, that in framing the said latter proposition, he useth those words, “ex Dei intentione,” for “cum Dei intentione,” and placeth the error of the proposition in this, viz. that it supposeth an intention to be in God of giving life unto all men upon their faith, when he makes the offer mentioned unto them. To prove this to be an error, he argues to this effect, from John xvii. 2: “God the Father gave power unto the Son to give eternal life to those only who were given unto him by the Father. But reprobates,” saith he, “are not given unto the Son by the Father; therefore the Father gave no power unto the Son to give eternal life unto reprobates. Consequently the Son cannot, either according to his own, or to his Father’s intention, offer remission of sins or eternal life unto reprobates.” To this I answer, that the whole proceed of the argument ariseth from a mistaken ground, or a plain misunderstanding of the Scripture upon which it is built. For by a “power given unto the Son to give eternal life,” &c. is not meant a power of dying for men, one or other, but a power of an actual and real investing men with eternal life, or a power to confer eternal life actually upon men, as appears from the former clause of the verse: “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life,” &c. From whence it is evident, that the power here spoken of as given unto the Son to give eternal life, &c., is a consequent branch or effect of that power or sovereignty which the Father hath given him over all mankind, as, viz. to dispose of them, especially in respect of their eternal estates and conditions, according to such rules of righteousness and equity as the Father, with the Son, have judged meet and accordingly agreed upon, for the regulating of such high and important dispensations.
Now, a power of conferring eternal life upon men, may very well be conceived to be a branch or part of that sovereignty or larger power, which the Father hath given unto the Son over all flesh. But an injunction or command, or a free leave or liberty, notion it how you please, given unto Him to die for a few men, cannot reasonably be looked upon as any part or branch, especially as any such considerable or high-importing branch as this here expressed must needs be conceived to be, of that most transcendent and majestic power. Or,
By eternal life may very well be meant, not eternal life properly and formally so called, as, viz. the blessedness and glory of the world to come, but such a discovery or manifestation of God and His counsels, which is an effectual means to bring men in time to the possession and enjoyment of this life. It is a frequent dialect of Scripture to call the means and cause, yea, and sometimes an opportunity only, which are proper and effectual for the compassing, effecting, or obtaining a thing, by the name of the thing itself; which is to be, or may be, procured or effected by them. Thus Numb. xxii. 7, the wages or rewards by which time elders of Moab sent from Balak the king, to Balaam the wizard, expected to procure divinations, or some imprecatory and devilish practices against the people of God from him, are termed divinations. “And the elders of Moab,” saith the text, “and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand,” &c. Thus, good tidings is put for the reward which good tidings usually procure unto them who bring them, 2 Sam. iv. 10. In this phrase of speech, the Scriptures, or the saving knowledge of God therein revealed, are, according to the general sense of our best interpreters, termed salvation, John iv. 22. So again, Heb. ii. 2,3. Thus wisdom is called a man’s life, “Keep her, for she is thy life,” Prov. iv. 13, because she is the means of life, i.e. of peace and well-being unto men. In this sense also, to forbear further instances which are in great numbers at hand, the gospel, and sometimes the preaching or ministry of it, is frequently termed the kingdom of heaven.
According to this manner of speaking, so familiar in the Scriptures, by eternal life, which the Son had power given him over all flesh, that he might give to as many as the Father had given him, may well be meant the words of eternal life, as Peter calls them, John vi. 68; or that manifestation of the name of God, as himself speaketh soon after, John xvii. 6, by which they might be effectually brought to the fruition and enjoyment of eternal life. And that this indeed is the very meaning of our Saviour, is abundantly evident by the sequel of the context all along, for several verses together. For having said that the Father had given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as he had given him, xvii. 2, he immediately declares, verse 3, what he means by eternal life, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” This notion he still carrieth on, saying, verse 6. “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me,” &c. So again, directly still to the same point, verse 8, “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me,” &c.; yet again, upon the same account, verse 14, “I have given them thy word,” &c. That which, verse 2, he had called eternal life, here he calls his Father’s word, as before, the declaration or manifestation of his name, as we heard.
From the carriage of the context, that further is abundantly evident, that by those words, verse 2, “As many as thou hast given him,” are not meant the elect, or the entire number of the
