Richard Fuller:

And your reason seconds your conscience; for, after all your syllogisms to prove that the divine purposes hold and control man, nobody could induce you to leap into the sea, or to throw yourself from the summit of a precipice.

Apply this reasoning to the concerns of your soul. Lost and ruined as we are, a great salvation has been provided for us, and it is yours by faith in Jesus. God repels no imputation with such intense abhorrence as that which charges him with desiring the death of any sinner. “Oh, Israel,” he exclaims, “thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thy help.” “As I live, saith the Lord God 1 have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?” Having-at such expense wrought out a wonderful atonement, Jesus now calls you to turn to him and accept a full deliverance; he assures you he is not willing that “any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” “Come unto me,” he cries, “and him that cometh I will in no wise cast out.”

Richard Fuller, “Predestination,” in Southern Baptist Sermons on Sovereignty and Responsibility (Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1984), 122. [Note: This brief comment from the third president of the SBC once again speaks to the strong tradition of reading the intent of 2 Peter 3:9 as expressive of God’s revealed will and desire that all men be saved.]

Marlorate:

1) {Least at any time they should see with}

C. [Calvin] here the Lord might seem to be unwilling to have the reprobate converted which is contrary to this sentence, “I will not the death of the sinner, but rather that he turne from his wickednes and lyue,” [Ezek. 18.]. A [Marlorate] Also Peter says, “The Lorde is paciente to us warde, for so muche as he wolde haue no man loste, but wolde receiuve all men to repentance,” [2 Peter. 3.]. But Peter and Ezekiel dispute not in those places, as concerning the secret purpose of God, but only they do show how God shows himself towards us, calling us by the preaching of the Gospel, to everlasting life. So that it is not contrary to the place of Esaiah: for he calls all by his word, even the reprobate: But the reprobate are so destitute of grace, that they are nothing at all moved by the gentle invitation of God, no, they do not molify their hearts.     Augustine Marlorate, A Catholike and Ecclesiastical Exposition of the Holy Gospel after S. Mathew, gathered out of all the singular and approued Deuines (which the Lorde hath geuen to his Churche) by Augustine Marlorate. And translated out of Latine into Englishe, by Thomas Tymme, Minister, Sene and allowed according to the order appointed (Imprinted at London in Fletestreate near vnto S. Dunstones churche, by Thomas Marshe, 1570), Matt. 13:15; pp., 282-283. [Some spelling modernized.]

2) 3:21. “And I gaue hir time to repent hir of hir whoredome, but she repented not.”

God’s long
sufferance and
gentleness, and also his
rigor.

“And I gaue hir time.” &c. G. [Caspar Megander] The Scripture every where sets out the gentleness and long sufferance of God, where through being forward unto mercy and slow to wrath, he calls sinners to repentance, that they may receive forgiveness of their sins and walk in newness of life. For he would not that the sinner should die, but rather that he should convert and live. Ezek. 18.23. & 2 Peter 3.9. S. [Seb. Meyer] But if they despise his wholesome counsel of amendment, he executes sore punishment upon them, like as a man may see in the world that was before the flood: in the Sodomites: in Dathan, Korah, Abiram: and in the Prophets of Baal: all which perished miserably for taking scorn to amend.

“But she repented not.”

Unrepentantness.

Here is fault found with the wilfulness of all such as having space to repent them of their sins, do utterly neglect it: yea and rather heap sin upon sin, and so hoard up God’s wrath against themselves, according as it is said, Rom. 2.5.     Augustine Marlorate, A Catholike exposition vpon the Reuelation of Sainct Iohn, (Printed by H. Binneman, for L. Harison, and G. Bishop, 1574),) Rev. 3:21, p., 49b. [Some spelling modernized and formatting modified.]

3) In respect whereof, here is added by and by, “And it was said unto them that they should rest.” That is to wit, by waiting patiently for the day of the resurrection. “Yet a little while.” This is spoken after the manner of Scripture, which promises in many places, that the time of misery and trouble shall be shortened to the elect, Isai. 54.7,8, and Dan. 11.33, and Math. 24.22, and 2 Cor. 4.17, and Hebr. 10.37, and 1 Peter. 1.6, and 5.10. Until their fellow servants were filled up. Ergo, then the delay of vengeance, is made for the elect’s sake also. Hereupon Peter says, “The Lord forstows[?] not his promise as some suppose: but he deals patiently for our sakes, willing that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance, 2 Peter. 3.9.     Augustine Marlorate, A Catholike exposition vpon the Reuelation of Sainct Iohn, (Printed by H. Binneman, for L. Harison, and G. Bishop, 1574),) Rev. 6:11, p., 98a.

Marlorate:

37 O Hierusalem, Hierasulem, thou that
killest the prophetes, and stonest them that are sente unto thee: howe
often wolde I have gathered thy children together, even as a henne
gathereth her chickens vnder her, and ye wolde not.

{O Hierusalem, Hierusalem.}

C. [Calvin] By these words our savior Christ does more plainly declare how just occasion he has to be angry, because Jerusalem (which God had chosen to be a holy and heavenly house, as it were to himself) did not only show itself to be unworthy of such honor, but as though it were a den of thieves, it had used and accustomed a long time to drink the blood of the prophets. Christ therefore cries out pitifully against so monstrous behavior, because the holy city of God was fallen into such madness, that it went about daily to extinguish the wholesome doctrine of God, by the blood of the prophets. B [Bucer] This bewailing therefore of Christ was a token of his great and exceeding love towards this people. It is a token of great affection, that names the city itself, and that he does double the appellation or name of the same, saying Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

{Thou which killest the Prophetes.}

Because the Evangelist Matthew uses the participle of the present tense, and the words of Christ seem to have respect unto both times, the deed may be taken or understood without any certain limiting of time: as if thou should say, “Thou killer of the prophets, which hast killed, do kill, and will kill.”

C. [Calvin] Thou I say which should be the faithful keeper of God’s word, the mistress of heavenly wisdom, the light of the world, the wellspring of true doctrine, the place of the sincere worship of God, and the example of the faith and obedience, art the killer of the prophets, in so much that thou has gotten now a habit and custom of drinking blood.

Hereby therefore it appears that they were worthy of all kinds of reproach, which had so filthy profaned the sanctuary of God. E. [Erasmus] Many think that by the name of Jerusalem, which was the head of Jewry, is understand the whole country or region of the Jews .

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Polhill:

If Christ did no way die for all men, which way shall the truth of these general promises be made out? “Whosoever will, may take the water of life.” What, though Christ never bought it for him? “Whosoever believes, shall be saved.” What, though there were no lutron, no price paid for him? Surely the gospel knows no water of life but what Christ purchased, nor no way of salvation but by a lutron, or price paid. But you will say, that albeit Christ died not for all men, yet are those general promises very true, and that because their truth is founded upon the sufficiency of Christ’s death, which hath worth enough in it to redeem millions of worlds. I answer, there is a double sufficiency; sufficientia nuda, consisting in the intrinsical value of the thing, and sufficientia ordinata, consisting in the intentional paying and receiving that thing as a price of redemption; the first is that radical sufficiency, whereby the thing may possibly become a price. Let a thing be of never so vast a value in itself, it is no price at all, unless it be paid for that end, and being paid, it is a price for no more than those only for whom it was paid; because the intrinsical worth how great soever, doth not constitute it a price. Hence it is clear, that if Christ’s death, though of immense value, had been paid for none, it had been no price at all; and if it were paid but for some, it was no price for the rest for whom it was not paid. These things premised, if Christ no way died for all men, how can can those promises stand true? All men, if they believe, shall be saved; saved, but how? Shall they be saved by a lutron or price of redemption? there was none at all paid for them; the immense value of Christ’s death doth not make it a price as to them for whom he died not; or shall they be saved without a lutron or price? God’s unsatisfied justice cannot suffer it, his minatory law cannot bear it, neither doth the gospel know any such way of salvation; take it either way, the truth of those promises cannot be vindicated, unless we say, that Christ died for all men. But you will yet reply, that albeit Christ died not for all, yet is the promise true; because Christ’s death is not only sufficient for all in itself, but it was willed by God to be so. I answer, God willed it to be so, but how? Did he will that it should be paid for all men, and so be a sufficient price for them? then Christ died for all men; or did he will that it should not be paid for all men, but only be sufficient for them in its intrinsical value? Then still it is no price at all as to them, and consequently either they may be saved without a price, which is contrary to the current of the gospel, or else they cannot be saved at all, which is contrary to the truth of the promise. If it be yet further demanded, To what purpose is it to argue which way reprobates shall be saved, seeing none of them ever did or will believe? Let the apostle answer, “What if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God of none effect? God forbid; yea, let God be true, but every man a liar.” (Rom. iii. 3, 4). And again, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful, and cannot deny himself.” (2 Tim. ii. 13.) No reprobate ever did or will believe, yet the promise must be true, and true antecedently to the faith or unbelief of men; true, because it is the promise of God, and antecendently true, because else it could not be the object of faith. Wherefore, I conclude, that Christ died for all men so far, as to found the truth of the general promises, which extend to all men.”

Edward Polhill, “The Divine Will Considered in its Eternal Decrees,” in The Works of Edward Polhill (Morgan, PA.: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1998), 164. [Note: Polhill’s point is that it is incongruent to suppose that God wills and offers salvation to all men without willing the means whereby all men may be saved.]

[This quotation is also filed under: Edward Polhill (1622-1694): Limited Satisfaction Precludes the Salvability of the Non-Elect, Even If They Were to Believe]

[Credit to Tony for the find.]