affiance on Christ for salvation, can be grounded on his generall belief, that Christ died for all men: because this notwithstanding it may be, he is not allowed, he cannot rest upon Christ for salvation.
Againe, That is the ground of faith, which doth fully and satisfyingly answer to this question, why doe you, and how know you that you are allowed to rest upon Christ for salvation? But the bare beliefe of this proposition, that Christ died for all men, to save, &c. is not a satisfying and full answer to this Question.
Againe, This categoricall proposition, Christ died for all men, sheweth what is done, whether men believe or not, but doth not warrant every man as such to rest upon Christ, nor promise upon condition of faith, what cannot be obtained without beliefe in Christ. The ground of particular affiance is some word or promise made to man not yet believing, whereby he is assured that as such he is allowed to believe, and that believing he shall receive the free forgivenesse of his offences; which promise is in order of nature before faith, tendered to him that beleeveth not, holding forth free remission upon condition of faith, and is made good to him that beleeveth. What some speake of a conditionall promise made to beleevers, I cannot comprehend: for if the person must be a beleever, before the promise be offered unto him, then faith must hang in the aire, and not be built upon the word, neither can faith be the condition required in the promise, but somewhat else; for a conditionall promise, the condition being fulfilled, is conditionall no longer, but absolute; the condition being performed, the thing promised is applied and possessed, and not barely promised upon condition.
What hath been answered to former passages of Scripture, doth open the true meaning of another, much urged in this matter. God our Saviour will have all men to be saved,1 Tim. 2.4,5,6. and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediatour between God and men, the man Christ Jesus: who gave himselfe a ransome for all, to be testified in due time. But All in this place doth not signifie universally every man, in every age and condition: but All opposed to the Jews only, all indefinitely, and that in the times of the new Testament, of which the Apostle speaketh. For those All whom God willeth to be saved, he willeth that they come to the knowledge of the truth, scil. the savingtruth
