the world, that he sent not his Son to save the world, but to condemn it." For if those he intended to save by sending his Son, be but a little remnant, in comparison of those to whom he intended no such benefit by his Son's advent, the reason for asserting that he was sent into the world to save it, is very little, when compared to the reason to assert he was not sent into the world for such an end. If his coming into the world with light, and with a tender of salvation to them, is the condemnation of the unbelieving and the wicked world, and God intended absolutely to withhold that grace which could alone enable the greatest part of the world to embrace that tender, or walk according to that light, it seems more reasonable to say, God sent not his Son into the world to save it, but that the world through him might be condemned." To proceed to the particular consideration of the places cited:

III. FIRST. When our Saviour saith, that as Moses'lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, (upon the cross) that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life;' doth not the similitude seem plainly to require, that as the brazen serpent in the wilderness was lifted up to preserve all the Jews stung with serpents from perishing, so was Christ lifted up to preserve all men, by looking up to him lifted up upon the cross, from perishing by the sting of the old serpent? Especially when he goes on to say, by way of reason, For God so loved the world, that he gave (up) his only begotten Son, (to the death,) that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved."" For let it be observed,

(1.) That of this world so beloved of God, some would not believe, and therefore would perish, is here supposed in our Saviour's words, which yet cannot be supposed of "the world of the elect;" he therefore could not mean, that he was sent into the world that "whosoever of his elect would believe in him should not perish." Moreover, the world which Christ was sent to save is, in the following words, divided into believers and unbelievers: for thus they run, He (of this world) who believeth in him is not

condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already;' which must be false if you restrain this "world" to such elect as cannot perish, but will assuredly believe to life eternal.

(2.) That the condemnation which will be pronounced upon the unbeliever will be on this account, because he believed not in the name of the Son of God,' that is, did not embrace him as a Saviour who died for him: Whereas if God the Father sent not his Son to die for him, if Christ was not designed as a Saviour to any that eventually believe not, they cannot be obliged to believe he was their Saviour, or died for them, unless they be obliged to believe a lie; nor can they be condemned, for not applying that death to them which never was intended for them.

(3.) These words beginning thus, God so loved the world, &c. were certainly intended as a declaration of God's great love to the world. Now this interpretation of " the world," which we here plead for, magnifies the love of God incomparably more than that which doth restrain its meaning only to "the elect of God." For they allow only a very narrow sphere for this so noble, active, and diffusive principle of the love of God, in comparison of them who do extend his kind intentions to all to whom the gospel is vouchsafed.

SECONDLY. This also clearly follows from these words of Christ, "If any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge (that is, condemn) im not; for I came not to condemn the world, but to save the world." Whence I argue thus, the world which Christ came to save,' he came not' to condemn,' as the antithesis plainly shews; but the world which he came not to condemn is the unbelieving world: Ergo, the world he came to save is the same world.

IV. THIRDLY. When the beloved disciple saith, for the comfort of new converts, and therefore weak in grace, "If we sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the Propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world;"" these words will not admit of the restrained senses which others put upon them. For when he saith, He is the Propitiation for our sins,' sure he intends this comfort to them all to whom he speaks, and not only that Christ was the Advocate and the Propitiation for the sins of some of them only;

for this would have left them all under perplexities and doubts whether this Advocate and this propitiation did belong to them, but would have comforted none of them. When therefore he adds, "He is the propitiation not for the sins of all us only, but for the sins of the whole world," he, in like manner, must extend the phrase to "all men in the world." Again, when he saith, 'He is the propitiation for our sins,' he doth not mean that he is so sufficiently only, but not intentionally: For what comfort would it afford them, that Christ's death was sufficient to procure the pardon of their sins, had God designed it for that end, unless they also knew that he intended it for the procuring their propitiation? When therefore he proceeds to say, "and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world," he must mean also that he was the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, not only sufficiently, but in his gracious intention also. Moreover, were this all that was intended by this phrase, it is as true, and might as properly have been said of fallen angels, and the whole host of devils, that Christ is the propitiation for their sins, as for the sins of those who are not elected, seeing had God designed it for that end, Christ's death, by reason of its intrinsick value, might have been sufficient. to procure atonement for the sins of fallen angels.

Nor is it less absurd to say the import of these words is this,— "He died for, or he is the propitiation for, the sins of the elect of the whole world." For,

(i.) I have already shewed that in the scripture, and more especially in the writings of St. John, "the world," or "the whole world," doth never signify "the elect only" in opposition to "the wicked of the world," but still "the wicked of the world," in opposition to "the faithful christian."

(ii) Would it not be strange, and alien from the mind of scripture, to say, "THE WHOLE WORLD is elected to salvation; the whole world shall be justified by faith in Christ, and truly sanctified by his Spirit; the Spirit of God dwells in the whole world, and the whole world shall be raised by Christ to eternal happiness?" And yet all this is certainly true of the whole world of the elect: Why therefore is it not equally affirmed of the whole world, if they be words of equal latitude and truth?

V. And having so fully evidenced that "the world" in these three places signifies not only "the elect," but "the whole world,"

we are sufficiently assured that the same word in the same evangelist bears the same sense in all the other places mentioned, v. g.

When the Baptist saith "Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world,"" doth he not speak this in allusion to the lambs daily offered up for the sins of the whole Jewish nation, and therefore intimate that as they were offered up to expiate the sins of the whole nation, so was this Lamb of God offered to expiate the sins of the whole world in general?

When Christ saith, "He is that bread which came down from heaven to give life unto the world," and then tells the unbelieving Jews, who were of the world, and so continued, "My Father giveth you this bread from heaven; and that this was the work God required of them,-to believe in him;" is it not evident that these unbelievers, these men of the world, in opposition to the elect out of the world, must also be the men whom he came down from heaven to give life unto? Or could he reasonably say to them for whose salvation he was never sent, "These things I say unto you that ye might be saved;" or complain thus of them to whom he never was designed to give life,—“Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life?" When he adds, verse 51, "this bread is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world;" and then saith, to the same Jews, "If ye eat not my flesh," that is, believe not in me crucified, "you have no life in you;" must it not be their duty to believe in him that they might live? And could they do this if he died not for them?

C

In a word," to be the Christ, and "to be the Saviour of the world," are, in two of these places, set by way of apposition, to signify they are words of the same latitude, as when the Samaritans say "We kncw this is truly, ὁ σωτὴς τῆ κόσμος ὁ Χριστος, THAT CHRIST who is THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD:" and the apostle, "We have seen and do testify that God hath sent, τὸν υἱὸν σωτῆρα το κόσμο HIS SON, that is, THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD." Now would the apostle have given this description of the Christ, the Son of God, had he believed that he was not designed to be the Saviour of the world, but only of those elect whom, saith he, "the world hateth; because they are not of the world?" Did he not "come to seek and save that which was lost," as all men were?" and to save sinners," which is the

a John i. 29.

b John vi. 33.

c John v. 34, 40. d 1 John iv. 14.

e 1 John ii, 13.

condition of all men? These places, therefore, though they be indefinite in words, are yet equivalent to universals; for wherefore came he to save that which was lost, but because it was lost? Or to save sinners, but because they were sinners? And if that be the reason, he must come to save all sinners, all that were lost; the reason being equal, as to all that are so.

VI. Moreover, when the apostle saith, "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing to them their sins," the import of these words is plainly this, He was offering through Christ a reconciliation to the world, and promising to them who would believe in him an absolution from their past offences. This is evident, (i.) because he was doing this not by himself immediately, but only by the ministry of his apostles; for so the words run, "He hath given us the ministry of reconciliation, viz. that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing to them their trespasses, καὶ θέμενος ἐν ἡμῖν AND PLACING IN (or committing to) us the word of reconciliation." Now did they make a declaration to the impenitent, unbelieving world, that God was actually reconciled to them, and had forgiven their iniquities? No, they exhorted them "to repent and be baptized, in the name of the Lord Jesus, for the remission of sins; to repent and be converted that their sins might be blotted out; to believe in Christ that they might be justified, that is, absolved from the guilt of sin; to repent and turn to the Lord that they might receive remission of sins."*-(ii.) Because they, in pursuance of this commission, intreated all to whom they preached to be reconciled to God; which being only to be done through faith in Christ, they must intreat them to believe in him that they might be justified, that is, obtain reconciliation through his blood shed for the remission of sins; and this the apostle's reason shews viz. "We pray you be you reconciled to God, neg Xg158 BY CHRIST; for he hath made him (a sacrifice for) sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God (that is, might by God be accounted righteous through faith) in him." This being so, they who were sent to "preach the gospel to every human creature," "m and in pursuance of this commission "warned every man,

h

f2 Cor. v. 19. g Acts ii. 58.
h Acts iii. 19.
See the note there.

i Acts xiii. 38, 39. m Mark xvi. 15.

k Acts xxvi. 18, 20.