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

Christ died so far for all Men,¹ as to found the general promises of the Gospel for them, to make them saveable upon Gospel terms, which Devils are not; and these general promises are a sufficient ground-work and warrant, for them to come to Christ; it is no presumption for any Man to do so, but these general promises are not that internal call, which produces Faith in Men. Christ, saith Mr. Shepherd, doth not immediately offer himself as a Saviour, to encourage them to serve him as a King; that is, saith the Author, he doth not promise Salvation, with a design to encourage every one that will to serve him. To which I answer, The promise is an encouragement to all Men to serve him; but, that this may be done, they must lay down their weapons, they must stoop under his Sceptre, or else surely they cannot serve him. But Mr. Shepherd goes on, They must acknowledge, if he save me I will bless him, if he damn me he is righteous; that is, saith the Author, every Man is invited in the Gospel to submit to the mercy of Christ, but Christ reserves a liberty to himself to save or damn, ⟨p. 521⟩which are hard terms: To which, I answer, God was under no necessity to give us a Jesus, a Gospel, a promise of Salvation: What if there had been none? would not the terms have been harder, or rather no terms at all? What hope of Salvation could there then have been? yet in all this God would have been like himself, the Righteous One; man could not have uttered the least just complaint against him: But now there is a Gospel, what is the Liberty to save or damn which Christ reserves? Is it a liberty to save men, though unbelievers; or damn men, though believers? No surely, the Gospel stands firm, that the believer shall be saved, the unbeliever shall be damned, and that without any [Greek or Hebrew], or difference among men; but still Christ reserves to himself his Prerogative, the key of David, to open the hearts of men, as he did Lydia's, to believe upon him; he dispenses Faith as he pleases: And no man may say to him, what dost thou? He gives not an account of such matters.

Christ died so far for all Men,¹ as to found the general promises of the Gospel for them, to make them saveable upon Gospel terms, which Devils are not; and these general promises are a sufficient ground-work and warrant, for them to come to Christ; it is no presumption for any Man to do so, but these general promises are not that internal call, which produces Faith in Men. Christ, saith Mr. Shephard, doth not immediately offer himself as a Saviour, to encourage them to serve him as a King; that is, saith the Author, he doth not promise Salvation, with a design to encourage every one that will to serve him. To which I answer, The promise is an encouragement to all Men to serve him; but, that this may be done, they must lay down their weapons, they must stoop under his Scepter, or else surely they cannot serve him. But Mr. Shephard goes on, They must acknowledge, if he save me I will bless him, if he damn me he is righteous; that is, saith the Author, every Man is invited in the Gospel to submit to the mercy of Christ, but Christ reserves a liberty to himself to save or damn,