1. God's great love of pity wherewith he loved the sons of men, even while they were dead in trespasses and sins, was the cause of his sending his Son to die for them; as appears from the following scriptures: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, to the end that all who believe in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life," (John iii. 16.) For "when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly," (Rom. v. 6, &c.) And, "God commendeth his love to us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

2. Christ's dying for our sins is the cause of the gospel's being preached to us, as appears from these scriptures," Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, "All power is given unto me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations,' (Matt. xxviii. 18.) Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,'" (Mark xvi. 15.) 3. The gospel's being preached to sinners is the cause of their believing, as appears from those scriptures, "How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God," (Rom. x. 15, &c.)

4. Men's believing is the cause of their justification, as appears from these scriptures, "By him all that believe are justified from all things," (Acts xiii. 39.) "He is the justifier of all that believe in Jesus. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law,” (Rom. iii. 26, &c.) "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and rose again for our justification," (Rom. iv. 3, 23, &c.)

5. Our knowing ourselves justified by faith, is the cause of our love to Christ, as appears from these scriptures,

* Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins,' (1 John iv. 10.) "We love him, because he first loved us," (1 John iv. 19.)

6. Our love to Christ is the cause of our obeying him, as appears from those scriptures, "If ye love me, keep my commandments. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me,” (John xiv. 15, 21, &c.) And, "If any man love me, he will keep my words. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments," (1 John v. 3.)

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7. Our obeying Christ is the cause of his giving us eternal life, as appears from those scriptures,Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven," (Matt. vij. 21.) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city," (Rev. xxii. 14.) And, "Christ being made perfect through sufferings, he became the author of eternal salva tion to all that obey him," (Heb. v. 9.)

15. This may be more briefly expressed thus:

1. God's love was the cause of his sending his Son to die for sinners.

2. Christ's dying for sinners is the cause of the gospel's being preached.

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3. The preaching of the gospel is the cause (or means) of our believing.

4. Our believing is the cause (or condition) of our justification.

5. The knowing ourselves justified through his blood, is the cause of our love to Christ.

6. Our love to Christ is the cause of our obedience to him.

7. Our obedience to Christ is the cause of his becoming the Author of eternal salvation to us.

16. These following things therefore ought well to be considered by all that fear God.

1. There was a necessity of God's love in sending his Son to die for us, without which he had not come to die.

2. There was a necessity of Christ's love in dying for us, without which the gospel could not have been preached.

3. There was a necessity of the gospel's being preached, without which there could have been no believing.

4. There is a necessity of our believing the gospel, without which we cannot be justified.

5. There is a necessity of our being justified by faith in the blood of Christ, without which we cannot come to know that he "loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."

6. There is a necessity of our knowing his love, who first loved us, without which we cannot love him again.

7. There is a necessity of our loving him, without which we cannot keep his commandments.

8. There is a necessity of our keeping his commandments, without which we cannot enter into eternal life,

By all which we see, that there is as great a necessity of our keeping the commandments of God, as there was of God's sending his Son into the world, or of Christ's dying for our sins.

17. But for whose sins did Christ die? Did he die for all men, or but for some?

To this also I will answer by the Scriptures, shewing, 1. The testimony of the Prophets. 2. Of the Angel of God. 3. Of Christ himself. And, 4. Of his Apostles.

First, the Prophet Isaiah saith thus, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet did we esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all,” (Isaiah liii. 4-6.) Thus Isaiah shews plainly, that the iniquities of all those who went astray, were laid upon Christ. And to him the testimony of all the other prophets

agrees: "To him gave all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins," (Acts x. 43.) The same saith that great prophet John the Baptist, who "came to bear witness of the light, that all men through it might believe," (John i. 7.) And again, “Behold," saith he, "the Lamb of God, that faketh away the sins of the world," (ver. 29.) Thus have all the prophets with one consent testified, that God

laid upon Christ the iniquities of all that were gone. astray;" that he is "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world;" that "all men through him may believe;" and that " through his name whosoever believeth in him, shall receive remission of sins."

Secondly, the Angel of God testified the same thing, saying, "Fear not; for I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people," which were, that there was "born unto them a Saviour, eyen Christ the Lord," (Luke ii. 10.) By this also it appears, that Christ died for all men. For else it could not have been glad tidings of great joy, to all people; but rather sad tidings to all those for whom he died not.

Thirdly, We come now to the words of Christ himself, who knew his own business better than any man else; and therefore, if his testimony agree with these, we must needs be convinced that they are true. Now he speaks thus, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved,” (John iii. 14, &c.) Thus we see the words of Christ agree with the words of the Prophets; therefore it must needs be owned that Christ died for all.

Fourthly, And now we will hear what the Apostles say concerning this thing. "The love of Christ," saith the Apostle Paul," constraineth us, because we thus judge,

that if one died for all, then were all dead; and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them, and rose again," (2 Cor. v. 14, &c.) And to Timothy he saith, "There is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time," (1 Tim. ii. 5, 6.) Again, he saith to Titus, "The grace of God, which bringeth salvation to all men, hath appeared," (Tit. ii. 11.) And yet again to the Hebrews, "That he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man,” (Heb. ii. 9.) And to this agreeth St. John, witnessing, "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world," (1 John ii. 3.) And again, speaking of himself and the rest of the apostles, he saith, "We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world," (1 John iv. 14.) Thus we have the testimony of all the Prophets, of the Angel of God, of Christ himself, and of his holy Apostles, all agreeing together in one to prove, that Christ died for all mankind.

18. What then can they, who deny this, say? Why, they commonly say, all men, in these scriptures, does not mean all men, but only the elect; that every man here does not mean every man, but only every one of the elect; that the world does not mean the whole world, but only the world of believers; and that the whole world, in St. John's words, does not mean the whole world, but only, the whole world of the elect.

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19. To this shameless, senseless evasion, I answer thus If the Scripture no where speaks of a world of believers or elect, then we have no ground, reason, pretence, or excuse, for saying, Christ died only for a world of believers, or elect. But the Scripture no where speaks of such a world. Therefore we have no ground or pretence for speaking thus.

Nay, the Scripture is so far from calling believers, or elected persons, the world, that they are every where in Scripture plainly and expressly distinguished from the