It is further objected, that it will not agree with the argument of the Apostle, who by Christs death for all, could not prove all to be dead to sin, nor so much as all the Elect, or all at Corinth. And the drift of the place is to prove, not that all men simply are dead to sinne, for that is notoriously false, and was neither taught, nor confirmed by any Pen-man of holy Writ; nor that all the Elect, or all at Corinth are dead to sin; for he speaketh to the Church or faithfull in Corinth, not to the place, or inhabitants universally: but that the faithfull, who had believed in Christ, as himself and the converted Corinthians had done, and did for the present, were dead to sin, which he strongly confirmeth from the communion they have with Christ in his death and resurrection, that is, that Christ died for them in effect and event, that the vertue and efficacy of his death did shew forth it self in them.
If the other Interpretation be admitted, the consequence is good thus, Christ died for all believers, therefore all men by nature are dead in sin: for the state of believers before conversion is the same with the others: and if they by the merit, power and efficacy of Christs death be delivered from the guilt and dominion of sin, who so is not set free by the death of Christ from the power of sin, must needs be dead therein. Arguments not much unlike we have, 1 Cor. 15. 22. As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive. In the first part all simply, in the latter all with limitation, scil. that be in Christ must be understood.See Gal. 3.22. And Rom. 5. 18. and 11. 32. But of that there is no need to make many words, because the former interpretation is most naturall. The 15. verse they say, need not be restrained, because all are bound to live unto Christ. Whether all men be simply bound to live unto Christ, because he simply died for them, though his death had never been signified unto them, I will leave to another place: But the discourse of the Apostle is of them, for whom Christ died, and who believe in him, and in whom the efficacy of Christs death doth exercise it self. They that are dead with Christ should live unto God.
They object moreover, that reconciliation is predicated of the whole world,vers. 19. which is reconciled thus farre through Christ, that God will not deale with man as he might have done, to cast him away utterly without hope, so as he hath the Angels that sinned,but
