3512 RUIN AND RECOVERY, &C. utterly irrecoverable from the ruins of it; and that even as un- alterably so as devils are, without any hope of recovery from their state of guilt and misery, for whom there was no Saviour provided, andwhomGod has not treated in this way of precept, promise and threatening. Is there not a plain difference made in scripture, between the angels who sinned, whom God spared not, but cast them down from heaven into chains of darkness, andmankind whosinned, to whom God gives time and space for repentance, means of grace, offers of pardon, conditional pro- mises of salvation, with a command to all men to accept of it ? What can manifest the blessed God to be upon terms of mercy wvith them, if this does not ? V. This seems to be a fairand easy way to answer several of those texts of scripture,. which represent God as the Saviour of all men, especially of then who believe; 1 Tim. iv. 10. and assert, that God calls and commands all men every where to repent; Acts xvii. 30. That Christ tasted death for every man ; lieb. ii. 9. That he gave himself a ransom for all men; to be testified in due time; 1 Tim. ii. 6. That hediedfor all; 2"Cor. v. 15. 'That he gave himself to be the propitiation for the sins of the wholeworld; 1 John ii. 2. and the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world; chapter iv. 14. and that God so lovedthe world of mankind, that.lee sent his Son; not to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved; and that whosoever believes in his Son Jesus, should not perish, but should have eternal life ; John iii. 16, 17. I grant indeed, that many of these scriptures may have a pretty sufficient answer given to them by the art of criticism, even upon the supposition that salvation is provided only for the elect ; but there are some few of those scriptures, and of their parallel places, which can never be so well explained, but by supposing the death of Christ has such an all-sufficient and overflowing merit in it, as to provide a sufficient conditional pardon, and con- ditional salvation for the non-elect, while it also provides abso- lute, effectual and certain pardon and salvation for those whom God has elected. It seems evident to me from several' texts of the word of God, that Christ did not die with an equal design for all min; but that there is a special number whom the Father chose and gave to the Son, whose salvation is absolutely secured by the death and intercession of Christ ; John xvii. 6, 9, 10. but why should this hinder our interpretation of some other texts in a snore general and catholic sense, where the love of God and Christ to mankind, are expressed in more universal phrases and terms? Why should the affect to limit that grace which is expressed in an unlimited form of speech ? Why may we not suppose conditional pardon and conditional salvation, and the offers of the gospel, and the means of grace which are neces-
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