Chapter XXXI.
Of election and universal grace — Of the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
Mr Biddle’s intention in this thirteenth chapter being to decry God’s eternal election, finding himself destitute of any scripture that should, to the least outward appearance, speak to his purpose, he deserts the way and method of procedure imposed on himself, and in the very entrance falls into a dispute against it, with such arguments as the texts of Scripture after mentioned give not the least colour or countenance unto. Not that from me he incurs any blame for using any arguments whereby he supposeth he may further or promote his cause is this spoken; but having at the entrance protested against such a procedure, he ought not, upon any necessity, to have transgressed the law which to himself he had prescribed. But as the matter stands, he is to be heard to the full in what he hath to offer. Thus, then, he proceeds:—
Q. Those scriptures which you have already alleged, when I inquired for whom Christ died, intimate the universality of God’s love to men; yet, forasmuch as this is a point of the greatest importance, without the knowledge and belief whereof we cannot have any true and solid ground of coming unto God (because if he from eternity intended good only to a few, and those few are not set down in the Scriptures, which were written that we through the comfort of them might have hope, no man can certainly, yea, probably, infer that he is in the number of those few, the contrary being ten thousand to one more likely), what other clear passages of Scripture have you which show that God, in sending Christ and proposing the gospel, aimed not at the salvation of a certain elect number, but of men in general?
A. John iii. 16, 17, vi. 33, iv. 42, 1 John iv. 14; John xii. 46, 47; Mark xvi. 15, 16; Col. i. 23, 28; 1 Tim. ii. 1–4; 2 Pet. iii. 9; 2 Cor. v. 19, 1 John ii. 1, 2.
1. That God is good to all men, and bountiful, being a wise, powerful, liberal provider for the works of his hands, in and by innumerable dispensations and various communications of his goodness to them, and may in that regard be said to have a universal love for them all, is granted; but that God loveth all and every man alike, with that eternal love which is the fountain of his giving Christ for them and to them, and all good things with him, is not in the least intimated by any of those places of Scripture where they are expressed for whom Christ died, as elsewhere hath been abundantly manifested.
2. It is confessed that “this is a point of the greatest importance” (that is, of very great), “without the knowledge and belief whereof we cannot have any true and solid ground of coming unto God,” — namely, of the love of God in Christ; but that to know the universality of his love is of such importance cannot be proved, unless that can be numbered which is wanting, and that weighed in the balance which is not.
3. We say not that “God from all eternity intended good only to a few,” etc. He intended much good to all and every man in the world, and accordingly, in abundance of variety, accomplisheth that his intention towards them, — to some in a greater, to some in a lesser measure, according as seems good to his infinite wisdom and pleasure, for which all things were created and made, Rev. iv. 11. And for that particular eminent good of salvation by Jesus Christ, for the praise of his glorious grace, we do not say that he intended that from eternity for a few, absolutely considered, for these will appear in the issue to be “a great multitude, which no man can number,” Rev. vii. 9; but that in comparison of them who shall everlastingly come short of his glow, we say that they are but a “little flock,” yea, “few they are that are chosen,” as our Saviour expressly affirms, whatever Mr B. be pleased to tell us to the contrary.
4. That the granting that they are but few that are chosen (though many be called), and that “before the foundation of the world” some are chosen to be holy and unblamable in love through Christ, having their “names written in the book of life,” is a discouragement to any to come to God, Mr B. shall persuade us when he can evince that the secret and eternal purpose of God’s discriminating between persons as to their eternal conditions is the great ground and bottom of our approach unto God, and not the truth and faithfulness of the promises which he hath given, with his holy and righteous commands, The issue that lies before them who are commanded to draw nigh to God is, not whether they are elected or no, but whether they will believe or no, God having given them eternal and unchangeable rules: “He that believeth shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Though no man’s name be written in the Scripture, he that believes hath the faith of God’s veracity to assure him that he shall be saved. It is a most vain surmisal, that as to that obedience which God requires of us, there is any obstruction laid by this consideration, that they are but few which are chosen.