An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

Christ in his Coming and satisfactory Sufferings had a respect to all Men,¹ so far as to procure for them Salvation on Gospel-terms, but he had not an equal respect to all; it being utterly unimaginable ⟨p. 105⟩that he should have as great a respect to those in the Pagan World, who have no Christ, no atoning Sacrifice, no Promise of Life and Salvation revealed to them, as he hath to those in the Church, who have all these glorious Objects evidently set forth before them: Greater Donations argue greater degrees of Love; or else, which is very hard to believe, God loves all Creatures alike, notwithstanding that he measures out his Goodness to them in a very various and different manner, to some more, and to others less. But because the Author hath before laid down a good Rule, That the Virtue and Efficacy of Christ's Death doth depend on God's Institution and Appointment, and therefore can be known only by Revelation, I shall apply my self only to the Scripture: There, as we find, he died that he might gather together the Children of God that were scattered, Joh. 11.52. He gave himself for his Church, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, Eph. 5.26. He gave himself that he might purify to himself a peculiar people, Tit. 2.14. He laid down his life for his sheep, so as to bring them into his fold and make them hear his voice, Joh. 10.15, 16. He redeems some from among ⟨p. 106⟩men, Rev. 14.4. And out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, Rev. 5.9. All which Scriptures do emphatically show, that Christ had a special respect in his Death unto his own above others. But further; Christ by his precious Blood founded those Evangelical Promises, of taking away the stony Heart, writing the Law in the Heart, and putting his holy Spirit there; but did he found them for all men? What, for those whom God will harden,