I. For the first, or those which hold out the counsel, purpose, mind, intention, and will of God and our Savior in this work:  Matthew 18:11, “The Son of man is come to save that which was lost;” which words he replieth again upon another occasion,  Luke 19:10. In the first place,they are in the front of the parable of seeking the lost sheep; in the other, they are in the close of the recovery of lost Zaccheus; and in both places set forth the end of Christ's coming, which was to do the will of his Father by the recovery of lost sinners: and that as Zaccheus was recovered by conversion, by bringing into the free covenant, making him a son of Abraham, or as the lost sheep which he lays upon his shoulder and bringeth home; so unless he findeth that which he seeketh for, unless he recover that which he cometh to save, he faileth of his purpose.

Secondly,  Matthew 1:21, where the angel declareth the end of Christ’s coming in the flesh, and consequently of all his sufferings therein, is to the same purpose. He was to “save his people from their sins.” Whatsoever is required for a complete and perfect saving of his peculiar people from their sins was intended by his coming to say that he did but in part or in some regard effect the work of salvation, is of ill report to Christian ears.

Thirdly, The like expression is that also of Paul,  1 Timothy 1:15, evidently declaring the end of our Savior’s coming, according to the will and counsel of his Father, namely, to “save sinners;” — not to open a door for them to come in if they will or can; not to make a way passable, that they may be saved; not to purchase reconciliation and pardon of his Father, which perhaps they shall never enjoy; but actually to save them from all the guilt and power of sin, and from the wrath of God for sin: which, if he doth not accomplish, he fails of the end of his coming; and if that ought not to be alarmed, surely he came for no more than towards whom that effect is procured. The compact of his Father with him, and his promise made unto him, of “seeing his seed, and carrying along the pleasure of the LORD prosperously”  Isaiah 53:10-12, I before declared; from which it is apparent that the decree and purpose of giving actually unto Christ a believing generation, whom he calleth “ The children that God gave him” Hebrews 2:18, is inseparably annexed to the decree of Christ’s “making his soul an offering for sin” and is the end and aim thereof.

Fourthly, As the apostle farther declareth,  Hebrews 2:14, 15,

“Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death” etc.

Than which words nothing can more clearly set forth the entire end of that whole dispensation of the incarnation and offering of Jesus Christ, — even a deliverance of the children whom God gave him from the power of death, hell, and the devil, so bringing them nigh unto God. Nothing at all of the purchasing of a possible deliverance for all and every one; nay, all are not those children which God gave him, all are not delivered from death and him that had the power of it: and therefore it was not all for whom he then took flesh and blood.

Fifthly, The same purpose and intention we have,  Ephesians 5:25-27,

“Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish:”

as also,  Titus 2:14,

“He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

I think nothing can be clearer than these two places; nor is it possible for the wit of man to invent expressions so fully and livelily to set out the thing we intend, as it is in both these places by the Holy Ghost. What did Christ do? “He gave himself” say both these places alike: “For his church” saith one; “For us” saith the other; both words of equal extent and force, as all men know. To what end did he this? “To sanctify and cleanse it, to present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle” saith he to the Ephesians; “To redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” saith he to Titus. I ask now, Are all men of this church? Are all in that rank of men among whom Paul placeth himself and Titus? Are all purged, purified, sanctified, made glorious, brought nigh unto Christ? or doth Christ fail in his aim towards the greatest part of men? I dare not close with any of these.

Sixthly, Will you hear our Savior Christ himself expressing this more evidently, restraining the object, declaring his whole design and purpose,and affirming the end of his death?  John 17:19,

“For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” “For their sakes.”

Whose, I pray? “The men whom thou hast given me out of the world”, verse 6. Not the whole world, whom he prayed not for, verse 9. “I sanctify myself.” Whereunto? “To the work I am now going about, even to be an oblation.” And to what end? “Ina kai< aujtoi< w=sin hJgiasme>noiejn ajlhqei>a| — “That they also may be truly sanctified.” “That they” signifies the intent and purpose of Christ, — it designs out the end he aimed at, — which our hope is (and that is the hope of the gospel), that he hath accomplished (“for the Deliverer that cometh out of Sion turneth away ungodliness from Jacob”  Romans 11:26); — and that herein there was a concurrence of the will of his Father, yea, that this his purpose was to fulfill the will of his Father, which he come to do.

Seventhly, And that this also was his counsel is apparent, Galatians 1:4; for our Lord Jesus

“gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father;”

which will and purpose of his the apostle farther declares, Galatians 4:4-6,

“God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons;”

and, because sons, our deliverance from the law, and thereby our freedom from the guilt of sin. Our adoption to sons, receiving the Spirit, and drawing nigh unto God, are all of them in the purpose of the Father giving his only Son for us.

Eighthly, I shall add but one place more, of the very many more that might be cited to this purpose, and that is  2 Corinthians 5:21,

“He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

The purpose of God in making his Son to be sin is, that those for whom he was made sin might become righteousness; that was the end of God’s sending Christ to be so, and Christ’s willingness to become so. Now, if theLord did not purpose what is not fulfilled, yea, what he knew should never be fulfilled, and what he would not work at all that it might be fulfilled (either of which are most atheistical expressions), then he made Christ sin for no more than do in the effect become actually righteousness in him: so that the counsel and will of God, with the purpose and intention of Christ, by his oblation and blood-shedding, was to fulfill that will and counsel, is from these places made apparent.

From all which we draw this argument: — That which the Father and theSon intended to accomplish in and towards all those for whom Christ died,by his death that is most certainly effected (if any shall deny this proposition, I will at any time, by the Lord’s assistance, take up the assertion of it;) but the Father and his Son intended by the death of Christto redeem, purge, sanctify, purify, deliver from death, Satan, the curse of the law, to quit of all sin, to make righteousness in Christ, to bring nigh unto God, all those for whom he died, as was above proved: therefore,Christ died for all and only those in and towards whom all these things recounted are effected; — which, whether they are all and. every one, Ileave to all and every one to judge that hath any knowledge in these things.

II. The second rank contains those places which lay down the actual accomplishment and effect of this oblation, or what it doth really produce and effect in and towards them for whom it is an oblation. Such are Hebrews 9:12, 14,

“By his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us..... The blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God.”

Two things are here ascribed to the blood of Christ; — one referring to God, “ It obtains eternal redemption;” the other respecting us, “It purgeth our consciences from dead works:” so that justification with God, by procuring for us an eternal redemption from the guilt of our sins and his wrath due unto them, with sanctification in ourselves (or, as it is called, Hebrews 1:3, a “purging our sins”), is the immediate product of that blood by which he entered into the holy place, of that oblation which, through the eternal Spirit, he presented unto God. Yea, this meritorious purging of our sins is peculiarly ascribed to his offering, as performed before his ascension: Hebrews 1:3, “When he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” and again, most expressly, Hebrews 9:26, “He hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself:” which expiation, or putting away of sin by the way of sacrifice, must needs be the actual sanctification of them for whom he was a sacrifice, even as “the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh” Hebrews 9:13. Certain it is, that whosoever was either polluted or guilty, for whom there was an expiation and sacrifice allowed in those carnal ordinances, “which had a shadow of good things to come” had truly; — first, A legal cleansing and sanctifying, to the purifying of the flesh; and, secondly, Freedom from the punishment which was due to the breach of the law, as it was the rule of conversation to God’s people: so much his sacrifice carnally accomplished for him that was admitted thereunto. Now, these things being but “shadows of good things to come” certainly the sacrifice of Christ did effect spiritually, for all them for whom it was a sacrifice, whatever the other could typify out; that is, spiritual cleansing by sanctification, and freedom from the guilt of sin: which the places produced do evidently prove. Now, whether this be accomplished in all and for them all, let all that are able judge.

Again; Christ, by his death, and in it, is said to “bear our sins:” so 1 Peter 2:24, “His own self bare our sins;” — where you have both what he did, “ Bare our sins” (ajnh>negke,) he carried them up with him upon the cross); and what he intended, “That we being dead unto sins, should live unto righteousness.” And what was the effect? “By his stripes we are healed:” which latter, as it is taken from the same place of the prophet where our Savior is affirmed to “bear our iniquities, and to have them laid upon him” (Isaiah 53:5, 6, 10-12), so it is expository of the former, and will tell us what Christ did by “bearing our sins;” which phrase is more than once used in the Scripture to this purpose. 1. Christ, then, so bare our iniquities by his death, that, by virtue of the stripes and afflictions which he underwent in his offering himself for us, this is certainly procured and effected, that we should go free, and not suffer any of those things which he underwent for us. To which, also, you may refer all those places which evidently hold out a commutation in this point of suffering between Christ and us: Galatians 3:13, “He delivered us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us;” with divers others which we shall have occasion afterward to mention.

Peace, also, and reconciliation with God, — that is, actual peace by the removal of all enmity on both sides, with all the causes of it, — is fully ascribed to this oblation: Colossians 1:21, 22,

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and un unreprovable in his sight;”

as also Ephesians 2:13-16,

“Ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ: for he is our peace; having abolished in his flesh the enmity,even the law of commandments, that he might reconcile both untoGod in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.”

To which add all those places wherein plenary deliverances from anger,wrath, death, and him that had the power of it, is likewise asserted as the fruit thereof, as Romans 5:8-10, and ye have a farther discovery made of the immediate effect of the death of Christ. Peace and reconciliation,deliverance from wrath, enmity, and whatever lay against us to keep us from enjoying the love and favor of God, — a redemption from all these he effected for his church “with his own blood” Acts 20:28. Whence all and every one for whom he died may truly say, “Who shall lay any thing to our charge? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” Romans 8:33, 34. Which that they are procured for all and every one of the sons of Adam,that they all may use that rejoicing in full assurance, cannot be made appear. And yet evident it is that so it is with all for whom he died, —that these are the effects of his death in and towards them for whom he underwent it: for by his being slain

“he redeemed them to God by his blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and made them unto our God kings and priests” Revelation 5:9, 10;

for

“he made an end of their sins, he made reconciliation for their iniquity, and brought in everlasting righteousness” Daniel 9:24.

Add also those other places where our life is ascribed to the death of Christ, and then this enumeration will be perfect: John 6:33, He “came down from heaven to give life to the world.” Sure enough he giveth life to that world for which he gave his life. It is the world of “ his sheep, for which he layeth down his life” John 10:15, even that he might “ give unto them eternal life, that they might never perish” John 10:28. So he appeared “to abolish death, and to bring life and immortality to light” 2 Timothy 1:10; as also Romans 5:6-10.

Now, there is none of all these places but will afford a sufficient strength against the general ransom, or the universality of the merit of Christ. My leisure will not serve for so large a prosecution of the subject as that would require, and, therefore, I shall take from the whole this general argument:— If the death and oblation of Jesus Christ (as a sacrifice to his Father) doth sanctify all them for whom it was a sacrifice; doth purge away their sin; redeem them from wrath, curse, and guilt; work for them peace and reconciliation with God; procure for them life and immortality; bearing their iniquities and healing all their diseases; — then died he only for those that are in the event sanctified, purged, redeemed, justified, freed from wrath and death, quickened, saved, etc.; but that all are not thus sanctified, freed, etc., is most apparent: and, therefore, they cannot be said to be the proper object of the death of Christ. The supposal was confirmed before; the inference is plain from Scripture and experience, and the whole argument (if I mistake not) solid.

III. Many places there are that point out the persons for whom Christdied, as designed peculiarly to be the object of this work of redemption,according to the aim and purpose of God; some of which we will briefly recount. In some places they are called many:

Matthew 26:28, “The blood of the new testament is shed for many, for the remission of sins.”

“By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities” Isaiah 53:11.

“The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and give his life a ransom for many” Mark 10:45; Matthew 20:28.

He was to “bring many sons unto glory” and so was to be the “captain of their salvation, through sufferings” Hebrews 2:10. And though perhaps the word "many" itself be not sufficient to restrain the object of Christ’s death unto some, in opposition to all, because many is sometimes placed absolutely for all, as Romans 5:19, yet these many being described in other places to be such as it is most certain all are not, so it is a full and evident restriction of it: for these many are the “sheep” of Christ, John 10:15; the “children of God that were scattered abroad” John 11:52; those whom our Savior calleth “brethren” Hebrews 2:11; “the children that God gave him”which were “partakers of flesh and blood” Hebrews 2:13, 14; and frequently, “those who were given unto him of his Father” John 17:2,6, 9, 11, who should certainly be preserved; the “sheep” whereof he was the “Shepherd, through the blood of the everlasting covenant” Hebrews13:20; his “ elect” Romans 8:33; and his “ people” Matthew 1:21; farther explained to be his “visited and redeemed people” Luke 1:68; even the people which he “foreknew” Romans 11:2; even such a people as he is said to have had at Corinth before their conversion; his people by election, Acts 18:10; the people that he “ suffered for without the gate,that he might sanctify them” Hebrews 13:12; his “church, which he redeemed by his own blood” Acts 20:28, which “he loved and gave himself for” Ephesians 5:25; the “many” whose sins he took away,Hebrews 9:28, with whom he made a covenant, Daniel 9:27. Those many being thus described, and set forth with such qualifications as by no means are common to all, but proper only to the elect, do most evidently appear to be all and only those that are chosen of God to obtain eternal life through the offering and blood-shedding of Jesus Christ. Many things are here excepted with much confidence and clamor, that may easily be removed. And so you see the end of the death of Christ, as it is set out in the Scripture.

Continued on next page.