(2I) CH 3. fea.6. & ch,S. fea.8. which fpeak againft Uni- .4 verfal Redemption, I underftand not of all Redemption, and particularly not of the meer bearing the punifbment of mans fins, and fatisfying Gods Juftice ; but of that fpecial Redempti- on proper to the Elect, which was accompanied with an intention of actual application of the faving benefits in time. If I maynot be allowed this interpretation, I muff herein diffent : and if this Confeflion was intended for aTefl to all that fbould enter into,or exercife theMiniftery I hope it was never the mindeof that Re- verend Affembly to have flint out fuch men as Bifhop Vfher, Davenant, Hall, Dr. Prefion, Dr. Staughton, Mr. William F ner, Dr. Ward, and many more excellent Englifh Divines,as ever this Church enjoyed , who were all for General Redemption, though not for an equal general Redemption : to fay nothingof the Divines of France, Breme,andBeroline, andother Forreigners that go this way. z. About the inftrumentality, and non-imputation of Faith, clo.ti. lea. t,2. I muff have the fame indulgence as I defired about the Catechifm, for expofition. 3. Where our certainty of falvation is called an Aittrance of Faith, ch. IS. fe6t.z. I underftand it participative d' caufaliter, that Faith is an eminent caufe in the produftion of our Affurance, and Affurance a fruit of Faith , but not that it is ftrietly de fide, that is, a truth of fupernatural Divine Revelation propounded to be believed, as I have fullyer expreffed my thoughts to Matter Blake. And becaufeAuthority in fuch a cafe will do more with fome then my Reafons, I refer them to the Br:ttifh Divines in the Synodof Dort, who fpeak fully and excellently to this point, in their Suffrage 2. Artic.5. de perfev. certit. quoad not Thef. 3. ex- plicat. I. pag.198. part 2. (Imprefs. i6zo. fol.) 4. Whereas inchap.' 9.and alfo in the larger Catechifm, (which I forgat to mentionbefore) it is expreffed that thepromife of life upon fulfilling theLaw, is ftill in being ; I underftand it only,that fuch a promife is on record Rill in the Bible, as having been once in force ; but I judge it now to be no promife, but to be ceafed, Cerante materia,the thing made its Condition(perfea obedience) being not only of moral but natural impoflibility, as foon as man- kind was once finful ; fo that God is not, nor can be now obliged D 3 by
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