Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .B352 1835 v2

OF GOD-REDEEMER. 269 Among the variety ofmen's opinions, it is safe to speak in the lan- guage of the Holy Ghost, and accordingly to believe that, " As, by the offense of one, judgment came upon- all men to condem- nation; even so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men, to justification of life ; " (Rom. v. 18.) and " That he gave himself a ransom for all, and is the only mediator between God and man ; " (1 Tim. ii. 5, 6.) " That he is the propitiation for our sins ; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world ; " (1 John ii. 2.) " That God is the Savior of all men, es- pecially of those that believe ; " (1 Tim. iv. 10.) "That he is the Savior of the world ; " (John iv. 42. 1 John iv. 14, 15.) " That he tasteth death for every man ; " (Heb. ii. 9.) with many the like. It is sad to consider how men's unskillfulness to reconcile God's general grace with his special, and to assignto each its proper part, bath made the Pelagians, and their successors, to deny the special grace; and too many of late, no less dangerously, to deny the gen- eral grace; and what contentions these two erroneous parties have maintained, and still maintain, in the church, and how few observe or follow that true and sober mean which Austin, the maul of the Pelagians, and his scholars, Prosper and Fulgentius, walked in ! If, when our dark, confused heads are unable to assign each truth its place, and rightly to order each wheel and pin in the ad- mirable fabric of God's revelations, we shall, therefore, fall a wran- gling against them, and reject them; we may then be drawn to blaspheme the Trinity, to reject Christ's human nature, or his di- vine; and what truth shall we not be in danger to lose? To think this general grace to be inconsistent with the special is no wiser than to think the foundation inconsistent with the fabric that is built thereupon ; and that the builders themselves should have such thoughts is a matter of compassionate consideration to the friends of the church. Doubtless Christ died not for all alike, nor with equal intentions of 'saving them; and yet he hath borne the sins of all men on the cross, and was a sacrifice, propitiation, and ran- som for all. Even they that bring in damnable heresies, deny the Lord that bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction ; 2 Peter ii. 1. "God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he'that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light; because their deeds were evil;" John iii. 17 -19. I doubt notbut my text doth warrant me to tell you all, that you are not your own, but are bought with a price, and, therefore, must glorify him that bought you ; and I am very confident that if any

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