Christ is Lord of all things in heaven and earth, even the earthly blessings which infidels injoy, may be tearmed fruits of Christs death. Others proper to the members of the visible Church and common to them, as to be called by the word, injoy the Ordinances of grace, live under the Covenant, partake of some graces that come from Christ, which through their fault be not saving: and in this sence Christ died for all that be under the Covenant. But other fruits of Christs death according to the will of God and intention of Christ as Mediatour, be peculiar to the sheep of Christ, his brethren, them that be given unto him of the Father, as faith unfained, regeneration, pardon of sinne, adoption, &c. and so they hold, Christ died efficiently for his people only in this sence, namely, so as to bring them effectually to faith, grace and glory.
Now let us come to examine what the Scriptures teach in this particular. The Apostle writeth expressely, thatHeb. 2.9. by the grace of God Christ tasted of death for all men or distributively for every man. Some referre this to the sufficiency of Christs death: but all men, cannot be referred to man-kinde considered in the common masse or lapse: for the words must be understood of the death of Christ as it was suffered in time, and not as it was decreed of God, and of men considered as at that time. But at what time Christ suffered, mankind could not be considered as in the transgression of our first Parents. The Jewes were of opinion, that Christ the Messiah was promised a Saviour to them only. How, to impetrate Salvation? No, but to be applied as in Covenant. Now to beate downe their pride, the Apostle saith, Christ tasted of death for all, sc. both Jew and Gentile, who stood in relation by virtue of the Covenant, as the Jewes did. So that the Apostle speakes of the application of Christs death, which is not absolutely common to all and every man in the world: and by every man is meant, every man who heareth, receiveth, and is partaker of the fruit and benefit of Christs death offered in the word of reconciliation: every man who is under the new Covenant, as it is propounded of God in the Gospell and accepted of them. But every man under the new Covenant, as he is under the Covenant, is partaker of the fruit & benefit of Christs death. That the passage is to be understood of them that apply and possesse the fruit of his death, is manifest by divers reasons from the verses precedent and subsequent.The
