The prerogatil!e of C/;riftiall Cl!urcl,esabo1Je the reft of the Wqrld. Quell:. 157· Muft JVe think accGrdingly of the [hriftian [hurches noJV, that they tll'e Oll/y ad1Jm1ced abow the reft of the World M t/Je] e1vs were, bHt 110t the only people that are falJ~d ? Anfw. THis quefiion bdng finer for another place, what hrpe there is of the falvation of the people that are not Chriftians, I have purpofely handled ln another Trea.rife ( in M:nk 1<-. t6. my Method. 'lheol,gi4 ), and {hall only fay now, 1. That thofe that receive 110t Chnll: and the Joh. 3·•• · ''' Gofpcl revealed and olfered to thlm cannot be f,vcd. 2. That all thofe fhall be Caved (it fuch <he.e j~h~~;.,.~~)12• be) who never. had (efficient means to know Chr.ifi incarnate, .and yet do faithiully pdform the . common condiuom of the Covenant of Grace as 1t was made wnhAdam and Nue ; And particularly, All that are truly fanaified, who truly hatt all k,.nown fin, and Love God as God ahovt J~ll, as their merciful reconciled pardrming Father,and lay up all their bopes in Htavrn, in the evcrl,.fiing truiticn of P:al. rg. t, 11 , him in glory, and l~t their hearll there) and for thofe hopes deny the interctt of the fldh, and all 3 , 4 , ). things of this \Vorld. \S. to.t,J, 3· But howmany or who doth tbi-1 abroad in all the Kingdoms of the World, who have nor the ~~. diJhnCt Knowledgeof the Articles of the Chrifiian faich, it is not poffible for us to know. 1\om. :.. · +· But (as Aquinas and the Schoolmen ordinarily conclude this queflion ) we are furc that the Church hath thisprerogative above all others, that falvation is incompuably more common to (.hri– O:ians, than to any others, as their Light and h~lps an~ means are more. T?eopinions of Jufrin, and Clem. Alcx.mdr. Origen, and many other Anctcnts of the Heathens falvoltJon I fuppofe is known. In Lhorr, 1 • It feems plain to me, that all the World t~ut are no Chril\ians, and have not the Gofpel, are (1 ) tTim :..4. not by Chrifls incarnation put into a wOtfe condition thin they were in blfore: But may be tavc:d on & 4· 10• the fame terms chat they might have been faved on before. Tit.!., H. • ~. That Chr.ifts Apof\Jcs were in a fiate of fatvation before they believed the Articles of Chrifis Joh. 1.:.'.1. ) oh l 17 . dying for fin, his RcfurrcC.tion, Afccnfion,'the giving of the Holy Ghofi, and Chrifis coming to judge- &4.41-. ment, as they are now to be believed. Rom. x. "· 3 • That all the faithful before ChriOs coming were favcd by a more general faith than the (')Job. 5 &'z. Apoft!es had, as not being Terminated in 11Ji< perfon, J e[U<, as the Mdli1h, but only cxpcCI<d the Mcf. 9 .n, &c. fiah to come. ~h. tt:. :z. 4 • That as more articles are necdfary to thofe that have tbe Gof}el than to thofc: that ha1:1e it not, and ] (•h. J!.. 16. to thofejinct ChrijiJ JncarnatiOH that hear of him, than to the Jtws bt{Jre, {o before, there were more luk. 18 1 · ;4·, things necdfary even to tho{t Jtrrs (that had a Chorttt Creed than that which the: ApoHics believed ~~~-~a ;~·.t,... . before the Refurreetion ) than was to the refi of the World that had not{ promi[c;s, propbtcics, types (+) Ro:n. !.. and Laws, fo particular, difiioct and full as .they had. 12, 14, t". 5 • That the Promi{(s, Covenant or Law of Guce, was made ·tO)atl lapfed mankind ih Ad.Jm Luk.t:...;7,48. and N()r. ~Yo:.~-. 3. 1 )· 6. Thatthis Law or Covenant is C\ilt of the fame tenour, and not repealed. c,·n. 9 . 1 , 1-, 7 • That this Covenant giveth pardoning mercy, and falvation, and prornifeth Vid-ory ovet Satan, 3 4· to and by the holy feed. (6) r ra\. 136• s. That the condition on mans put, is Repentance, and faith in God as a merciful God thur pardon- ~~~~.·-;?· ing fin, and faving tbep_enit_cnt believtr. Bu~ juO: how pa.rticular or difi.inct their bdief of the incar· (7) G~n.3 H . natiou of CJJ,.ijt was tobe, JS hard to deterrnme. · )onlh 3· 9, 10, 9 . But ahtr Chrifis Incarnation, even they that know it not, yet are not by the firfi Covenant bound ~J·J!.~nah iO. to brlievc that the Mdfiah is yet to be in~a~nate, or the _Word made fldh ; For they are n.ot .bound }{ to believe an unnuth, and that as the condttton of falvauon. L·~·~'\~~ ~: )· 10 , Mtn were faved by Chri(\ about 4000yeats before he was man, and had fuffercd, fatisfied or t.tt tp. 35· merited as man. Jdt. 3 1 9• ;.o, 11 , The whole courfe of Gods actual providence fince the faiJ, hath fo filled the world with mer- ~~}~ 1 Juh. 4 :., cies connary to mans demerit, rhat it is an ad:ual univerfal proclamation of the pardoning L1w of Grace ; which is thenby now btcome even aLaw sf nat~tre, that is of Lapfed pardoned ntJturt, as the l ··;m. 1. H< h l [\ was the natnral Lawof ln1Jocenct. ( !~. r\dn. I. 12 • CluiCt giveth a grt:~.t deal of mercy to them that_ncvcr heard of him, or know him; And he t-. !.4. 17 givcth lar more mercy tu believers, tha~ they ha~e a parttcular knowledge and beHef of. 1< • u .r), !6. 1 )• There ls no !alvation but by C~nft the fav10ur of the world; Though there be more mercy 1-'"· ···~'- 3· from ChriH, th<t.n 'here IS faith in ChnH. l ' .!. 3 ':!•:. 4 . 14 . No man could ever be raved without Believing in God as a merciful pndoning faving God i fi. though many hlvc been favcd who knew not the perlon of ChriH, dererminately. }'or he that com– crh ro God mut\ btlicvc that God is, and that he is the Rewarder ot them that diligently feek him : who is no rctp~der ot pcdOus, but in every Nation, he that ftareth God and worketh xightcoufnefs is accepted of him• .!4'i·)· ( r4) Heb, rr. 6. Aft. Io. 35· :. Th:f.1. tr, I2. J:r. ro. :5: 1'"nl. IO• : o. ' J. 0 l5· rs. Ail
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