344 RUIN AND RECOVERY, &C. And since it was so constituted in the law of innocency, or the covenant of works, whereby all the children of men should have been established in happiness; if Adam their father had continu- ed in his obedience, and whereby all the posterity of Adam are now born in sin and misery, and involved in his fall, when he became a rebel against his Maker; why may we not reasonably suppose, the mercy. of God would extend as fair as his justice And why may not the happiness of the new covenant of grace be conveyed to the infant offspring of those who have accepted it, which die in their infancy, and can have no state of trial in their own persons ? 7. Since the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was so very glori- ous a person in his own nature, one who was with God, and was God, one who had all thefulness of the godhead dwelling in nine bodily, there was such an abounding merit in his perfect obedi., ence to the law of God for four and thirty years together, his vo- luntary submission to so many sorrows and sufferings in his life, and afterwards his enduring death itself; which was the express penalty threatened for sin. I say, therewas sucha superabundant value and merit in these undertakings, arising from the dignity of his person and character, that these labours, and these suffer., logs, did not only procure absolute and certain salvation for the elect, according to the will and appointment of the Father, but they may justly be called sufficient in their own nature, to have obtained actual salvationfor all mankind. And though God did not think fit to appoint all mankind to be Certainly and effectually saved thereby, yet this redundancy of the merit of Christ, this overflowing influence of his great undertaking, his obedience and his death, might be actually appointed and accepted by God the Father, to obtain the follow- ing benefits for men ; and as far as common benefits reach, Christ may be said, to die for all; or to taste death far ezery man, in the language of scripture ;* 2 Cor. y. 14, 15. lleb. ii. 9. I. We may suppose it is owing to the exuberant merits of Christ, that this earth continues to bathe habitation for mankind; and that the life of Adam and Eve were preserved some huu- * Though there must he a very-good sense in which Christ may be said to diejor all men; because scripture uses this language ; 2. Cpr. v.15 yet it does not follow that the doctrine of universal redemption is found there; l cannot find that scriptureonce asserts that C/a iit redeemed all men, or died to redeem them all. In the New Testament, however the word ay9gofw, to buy, may possibly be used and applied in a large sense, yet .fayopol , to redeem, or harem, I think. ís never applied particularly to any but the Israel of God, or to those who do or shall actually receive the gospel, and partake of the salvation of Christ, as the purchase of his blood, None but those are plainly expressly said to be redeemed, by Christ, inany text of the New Testament that I can find. Hyoeaoe, he bought, or paida sugeientpricefor those whofell into domnabk errors and heresies ; 2 Pet. ii. 1: ßut it is never said, he redeemed them: He bought them as a part of those old things whose dominion he obtained by his sufferings; Phil. ii. 9, 10. but not es, .his awn people
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