Goodwin:

I begin with Calvin himself, and humbly desire those that oppose his judgment and authority to obstruct the course of the doctrine avouched in this discourse, lest it should “run and be glorified” as truth ought to “be, to consider whether these passages and sayings next ensuing be with it and for it, or against it. “Although,” says he, “there is nothing to be found in the world worthy the favor of God, yet he shows himself propitious” or favorable “unto the whole world, in that he calls all men without exception to believe in Christ, which is nothing else but an entrance into life;”¹ with more to like purpose transcribed Chap. v. p. 142, of this discourse. Certainly if God’s calling of all men without exception to believe in Christ be a sufficient argument or sign of his propitious and favorable inclination towards them, he must needs really intend the grace or good of salvation unto them; otherwise his calling of them to believe, as, namely, if it should be accompanied with a purpose or intent in him, either simply to destroy them, or to increase their destruction, would rather argue his hatred than any propitiousness of affection towards them. And if God intends the salvation of all men without exception, certainly he hath provided salvation in Christ for them all. Elsewhere the same author says, that “Although Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world, and be through the kindness or good will” “Of God indifferently offered unto all. men, yet all men. do not receive” or take hold on him.”² See this, and much more cited from him of like notion, Chap. vi. p. 176. In another place he discourses thus: “Inasmuch as the utmost end of a blessed life stands in the knowledge of God, that the entrance” or access “unto blessedness might not be shut up against any man, God hath not only implanted in the minds of men that which we call the seed of religion, but hath also manifested himself in the whole fabric” or workmanship “of the world after such a manner, and offers himself daily so plainly” or openly unto men “that they cannot open their eyes, but they must needs behold him.”³ If God provides that the passage or way unto happiness may be open for every man. or, which is the same, obstructed or shut up against no man, doubtless there is happiness, and consequently salvation, provided in, or procured by Christ for every man. For there is no way or access for any man unto happiness but by Christ; no, nor yet by Christ himself except only for those whose sins are atoned by him. Of like import with the former is that saying also: “The fuller and more comprehensive sense is this, that God was in Christ; and then, that by his intercession he reconciled the world unto himself.”⁴ Questionless if an expositor of Scripture meets with a figurative term or expression, I mean so apprehended by him, in the text which is before him, and which he is about to open, it is very improper for him to use the same word in the same figurative or improper sense in his exposition, especially without giving any notice of the figurativeness of it, or substituting a word of a more plain and ready signification for the explaining of it. Therefore, if Calvin, by the word “world,” 2 Cor. v. 19, understood the elect of God only, dispersed up and down the world, he would not in his exposition have used the same word to express them, especially without the help of some other, one or more, of a more plain and known signification in that kind. So that there is not the least question but that he, both in the text mentioned, as likewise in his Commentaries upon it, understood the word “world,” in the ordinary and best known signification” of it, i. e. for the generality or universality of men. Upon the same Scripture afterwards he demands, “For what purpose did God appear unto men in Christ. He answers and says,” For reconciliation, that enmities being taken out of the way, those that were estranged” from him “might be adopted for sons.” Now they that were estranged from God were not the elect only, but the whole universe of mankind with them. Therefore according to the express import of this piece of commentary, God designed in Christ the adoption of all men without exception for sons. Nor doth he any whit less than confirm the same doctrine in saying, that ” As by the offence of one Adam, judgment or guilt came upon all men to condemnation: so by the righteousness of one Jesus Christ, the gift or benefit of God abounded unto all men to the justification of life.”⁵ He speaks likewise to the heart of the cause we plead, when he terms that saying of the apostle, 1 Cor. viii. 11, “A memorable saying, whereby we are taught of how great an account the salvation of the brethren ought to be with us ; and not only the salvation of them altogether, but of every one of them apart, inasmuch as the blood of Christ was shed for every one of them.”⁶ By “brethren,” it is evident that he cannot mean only such who are elect, or predestinated unto salvation. 1. Because he speaks of all that profess Christianity, or that are members of any Christian church, amongst whom it is the known judgment of this author that there still are many hypocrites, and such who will not in fine be saved. 2. The elect, in his sense, I mean such who come at last to be actually saved, cannot be certainly known or discerned from others beforehand. Therefore this consideration, that Christ hath shed his blood for a man, can be no argument or motive at all unto me to regard his salvation the more, since it is impossible for me to know whether Christ hath shed his blood for him or no. His meaning then, when he says that the blood of Christ was shed for every particular person of the brethren, must needs be that it was shed as well for those who will not be saved by it as for those that will. See before upon this account, Chap. viii. p. 191. And doth he not yet further plead the cause of the same doctrine with us when he says, that “Since Christ will have the benefit of his death common unto all men, they do him wrong” or are injurious unto him “who by any opinion of theirs, restrain” or keep back “any man from the hope of salvation?“⁷ Take this passage of his also into the account: “This is a marvelous love” of his “towards mankind, that he is willing to have all men saved, yea, and is ready to gather into salvation such as are perishing of their own accord. But the order here is to be observed, viz. that God is ready” or prepared ” to receive all men unto” or upon “repentance, lest any man should perish.”⁸ In the heads of accord between him and the ministers of the Tigurine church, about the Sacrament, he says, speaking of Christ, that “He is to be considered as a sacrifice of expiation, by which God is appeased or pacified “towards the world.”⁹ In the Geneva Catechism, he teaches all those that are to be catechized to look upon Christ as “salutem mundi,” “the salvation of the world,” yea, and to own him and believe in him, “as their surety, who hath undergone that judgment which they deserved, that he might render them free from guilt;¹⁰ with much more of like consideration. So that unless it be supposed, that Christ died for all such persons without exception, who should be persuaded and brought to learn and use this catechism, it will apparently follow, that the composer of it, and all parents and others that shall put their children or other persons upon the learning and pronouncing the words hereof, shall put them upon the speaking and professing those things, and that as matters of. their Christian faith, of the truth whereof they have no sufficient ground or assurance; yea, and which are much more likely to be false than true. For if Christ died for the elect only, i. e. only for such who in the event will be saved, these being but few, in comparison of those who will perish, evident it is, that; speaking of particular persons before they believe savingly, or to justification, it is more likely they will perish than that they will be saved; or, however, there is no sufficient ground to judge of” them, or of any particular person of them by name, before they believe, that they are elected; or, consequently, that Christ was their surety, or died to free them from the guilt of sin. And if so, then they that are taught to say and profess, as an article of their Christian faith, that Christ died to save them, are put upon it, or tempted to profess that, as an article of their religion, which they have no rational or competent ground to believe to be so much as a truth. Yea, the clear truth is, that the opinion, which denies the redemption of all men, without exception, by Christ, puts all our ordinary catechisms to rebuke, as being snares and temptations upon all, or the greatest part of those who use them, to pretend a belief or confident persuasion of such a thing, which they have more cause to suspect for an error than to embrace as a truth. This by the way. If the reader, to those passages lately insisted upon from the undoubted writings of Mr. Calvin, will please to add those other, from the same pen, formerly mentioned,¹¹ which, though produced, happily, upon somewhat a more particular occasion respectively, yet speak, for substance, the same thing, he will, I presume, acknowledge, that which hath in effect been already said, that Calvin was not so far an enemy to general redemption, but that, without straining either his judgment or conscience, he did upon all occasions reconcile himself” unto it, yea, and bottomed many carriages and passages of discourse upon it.

I was desirous to present the reader with the more variety, and greater number of testimonies from Calvin, wherein he plainly asserts the doctrine of universal atonement, because he is generally notioned as a man clearest and most resolved in his judgment against it. I shall be more sparing in citations of a like import from others, who pass in common discourse as professed enemies, also, against the same doctrine: but whether they be so indeed, methinks these sayings following, with many more of a like inspiration, that might be added unto them, should put to a demurrer. “So God loved the world,” &c. “By world,” says Musculus, “he understands universal mankind,”¹² &c. In another place: “After the same manner,” he says, “it is in this redemption of mankind, whereof we speak: that reprobates and men deplorably” or desperately ” wicked, do not receive it, neither comes to pass through any defect of the grace of God, nor is it meet that for the sons of perdition s sake, that it should lose the glory and title of a universal redemption, inasmuch as it is prepared for all, and all are called unto it.”¹³ Elsewhere he says, “Christ died not for his friends alone, but for his enemies also: not for some men only, but for all men. This is the immense latitude” or compass “of the love of God.”¹⁴ I know not how a man can express his sense for universal redemption, though he should abound in it never so much, in words more significant and distinct. These passages, with many others like unto them, have been formerly cited from this author.

John Goodwin, Redemption Redeemed (London: Printer by John Macock, for Lodowick Lloyd and Henry Cripps, and are to be sold at their shop in Popes head Alley, neer Lumbard street, 1651), 707-711. [Some spelling modernized’ italics original; footnote values modernized and footnote content original; and underlining mine.]

[Notes: 1) This John Goodwin is not to be confused with his uncle, John Goodwin, congregational Puritan and Westminster divine.  This John Goodwin was a renowned Arminian. 2) John Goodwin here is a mixed bag. In his early discussion on Calvin on perseverance of the saints, Goodwin confusedly argues that Calvin held to conditional perseverance.  3) The context here is Goodwin’s claim that the doctrine of unlimited expiation and redemption has been the normal doctrine of the Christian Church. After surveying numerous early church and medieval patristics, and then various Lutherans, he comes to Calvin.]

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¹Tametsi enim in mundo nihil reperietur favore Dei dignum, se tamen toti mundo propitium ostendit, cum sine exceptione omnes ad Christi fidem vocat, quae nihil aliud est, quam ingresus in vitam.–Calvin in Joh. iii. 15, 16.

²Nam etsi passus est Christus pro peccatis totius mundi, atque omnibus indifferenter Dei benignitate offertur, non tamen omnes apprehendunt.–Culvin, ad Rom. v. 18.

³Quia ultimus beatae vitae finis in Dei cognitione positus est, ne cui praeclusus esset ad feliceitatem aditus, non solum hominum mentibus indidit illud, quod dicimus religionis semen, sed ita se patefecit in toto mundi opificio, ac se quotidie palam offert, ut aperire oculos nequeant quin eum aspicere cogautur.–Idem, lnstitut. 1. i. c. 5. sect. 1.

⁴Sed plenior erit sensus et uberior, quod Deus in Christo erat: deinde, qnod ejus intcrccssione reconciliabat

sibi mundum.–Idem, de2 ad Cot. v. 19. Et mox: Quorsum ergo apparuit Deus hominibus in Christo? In reeonciliationem, ut sublatis inimicitiis, qui alieni erant adoptentur in filios.

⁵Sicut per unius Adami offensam, judicium, sive reatus venit in omnes homines ad condemnationem: sic etiam per unius Jesu Christi justitiam, donum sive beneficium Dei redundavit in omnes homines ad justificationem vitae–Calv, ad Rom. v. 15.

⁶Dictum memorabile, quo docemur, quanti nobis esse debeat fratrum salus; nec omnium modo, sed singulorum, quando pro unoquoque est fusus Christi sanguis.–Idem, in I Cor. viii.ll.

⁷Quhm itaque commune mortis sure beneficium omnibus esso velit, injuriam illi faciunt, qui opinione sua quempiam areent a spe salutis.–Idem, in 1. Tim. ii. 5.

⁸Mirum hic erga genus humanum amor, quod omnes vult esse salvos, et ultro pereuntes in salutem colligere paratus est. Notandus autem hic ordo, quod paratus est Deus omnes ad poenitentam recipere, ne quis pereat.–Idem, in 2 Pet. iii. 9.

⁹Conaiderandus est tanquam victima expintrix, quit placatus est Deus mundo.–Idem, Opousc. p. 872.

¹⁰Ut pallam fiat judicium quod merebamur, tantquam vadem nostrum, subire, quo nos a reatu

liberet.–Calvin. Opusc. p. 19.

¹¹See Chap. V. p. 142; Chap. VI. p. 176 ; Chap. VIII. p. 188, &c.; Chap. XII. p. 369.

¹²Sic Deus dilexit mundum, &c. Per mundum enim intelligit universum genus humanum, &c.–Muscu. Loe. de Philanthropia.

¹³Ad cure modum habet et redemptio ista generis humani, de qu_ loquimur, qubd illam homines reprobi ac dcplorate impii non accipiant, neque defectu fit gratiae Dei, nequc justum est ut illa propter filios perditionis, gloliam ac titulum universalis redemptionis amittat, cum sit parata cunctls, et omnes ad illam vocentur.--Idem. Loc. de Redemptione. Gen. Human.

¹⁴Christus vero non pro amicis tantum, sed et inimicis: non pro quibusdam tantum, sed pro omnibus mortuus est. Haec est immensa divinae dillectionis amplitudo._Idem, in 2 ad Cot. v. 14, 15.