1) Our God is the God of all men and nations, who according to the saying of the apostle, “would have al men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth[1 Tim 2:4]:” and therefore has he, for the benefit, life, and salvation of all men, revealed in his word, that so indeed there might be a rule and a certain way to lead men by this path of justice into life everlasting. Decades, 1st Decade, Sermon 2, vol 1, p.,57.

2) Dearly beloved, this hour you have heard our bountiful Lord and God, “who would have all men saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” how he has revealed his word to all men throughout the whole world, to the intent that all men in all places, of what kind [Lat: sexus], age, or degree soever they be, may know the truth, and be instructed in the true salvation; and may learn a perfect way how to live rightly, well, and holily, so that the man of God may be perfect, instructed to all good works. Decades, 1st Decade, Sermon 2, vol 1, p.,69.

3) Wherefore our Lord Jesus Christ, being both God and man, was a fit Mediator for both parties. Which thing the apostle witnessing saith: “One God, and one Mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself the price of redemption for all [1 Tim 2:5,6.] Decades, 1st Decade, Sermon 7, vol 1, p., 131.

4) Whereupon we do necessarily gather, that only Christ is the mediator or intercessor with the Father. For principally Christ may se himself in the midst between God and men, because he only is partaker of both natures. The saints participate but only one; for they are men; but Christ is both God and man. Furthermore, he that is an intercessor must also be a reconciliator, or an atonement-maker. For the end, whereat he maketh intercession doth shoot at reconciliation. But Christ is the only reconciliator of men, therefore, also the only intercessor. For it belongeth to an intercessor to dissolve the cause of contention and discord, that is to say, to abolish and take away sin. But Christ alone, and no creature taketh away sin. It remaineth therefore that Christ is the only intercessor. Hithertoo do now pertain the testimonies of Scripture. Paul saith: “There is one God, and one reconciler (or mediator) of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself the price (or ransom) for the redemption of all [1 Tim 2.]. And although the apostle speak expressly of redemption, yet notwithstanding these words are placed in the midst between the disputation of the invocation upon God which is done by Christ, who is the only mediator of redemption and intercession. For he alone redeemed us, so doth he alone even now command us, being redeemed, unto the Father. Decades, Decades, 4^th Decade, Sermon 5, vol 2, p., 214-215.

Vermigli:

Unlimited redemption:

1) This word predestination will signify nothing else than the eternal ordinance of God regarding his creatures (Dei de creaturis suis aeternam dispositionem), relating to a certain use. The Scriptures do not often use the word predestination in this sense except with reference to the elect alone. Although in Acts 4 we read “they assembled together to do whatever your hand and purpose predestined to happen” (Acts 4:28). If these words refer to the death of Christ and the redemption of mankind, they do not pass beyond the bounds of election to salvation; if they include those who gathered together against the Lord, they also include the reprobate. Let us make our judgments based on how the Scriptures most often use the term predestination. Peter Martyr Vermigli, Predestination and Justification, trans., by Frank A. James, (Kirksville, Missouri: Sixteenth Century Essays and Studies, 2003), vol., 8, p., 16.

2) “They [the anti-predestinarians] also grant that “Christ died for us all” and infer from this that his benefits are common to everyone. We gladly grant this, too, if we are considering only the worthiness of the death of Christ, for it might be sufficient for all the world’s sinners. Yet even if in itself it is enough, yet it did not have, nor has, nor will have effect in all men. The Scholastics also acknowledge the same thing when they affirm that Christ redeemed all men sufficiently but not effectually.” Peter Martyr Vermigli, Predestination and Justification, trans., by Frank A. James, (Kirksville, Missouri: Sixteenth Century Essays and Studies, 2003), vol., 8, p., 62.

3) FROM PSALM 74: If it were to happen, O almighty God, which we do not doubt often occurs, that we provoke your wrath against us because of the sins that we have just committed and we bring down the heavy whips which chastise us: remember, I entreat, your goodness and promises which you know we have laid hold of by faith. Do not hand our souls over to the power of those who oppose your glory and our salvation. They strive for nothing but destroying your works or making them useless and bringing to naught the salvation of the human race which you purchased by your mercy. All their efforts are finally aimed at making your name blasphemed and vilified. We ask you to remember how you previously conferred benefits on us. Do not put an end to the work of redemption you have already begun in us. Arise, O God, and assist those who call on you lest the plans of the wicked enjoy success either against your glory or against our salvation. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Peter Martyr Vermigli, Sacred Prayers, trans., by John Patrick Donnelly, (Kirksville, Missouri: Sixteenth Century Essays and Studies, 1994), vol 3, p., 69.

4) Even Christ himself, when he had been raised from the dead, carried back with him the scars from his wounds and said to doubting Thomas, “Put your fingers here… in my side and in the nail marks, and do not be faithless, but believing” ((John 20:27). The wounds had already performed their function, for by them the human race was redeemed, but he still had them after he was raised from the dead, that his body might be displayed as the same one which had suffered earlier. Peter Martyr Vermigli, “Resurrection: Commentary on 2 Kings 4″in Philosophical Works, trans., by Joseph P. McLelland, (Kirksville, Missouri: Sixteenth Century Essays and Studies, 1994), vol 4, p., 113.

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Dabney on allusions or references to 1 Tim 2:4-6:

1) These passages doubtless teach that the Son was, in the beginning, the immediate agent of creation for these, as for all other beings; and that the God-man now includes angels in His mediatorial kingdom, in the same sense in which He includes the rest of the universe, besides the saints. But that He is not a mediator for angels is clear, from the fact that, while He is never called such, He is so emphatically called “the Mediator between God and man” (1 Tim. 2:5). Second. He has assumed no community of nature with angels. Last. It is expressly denied in Hebrews 2:16, 17. (Greek.) Lectures, p., 232.

2) In conclusion, the powerful demonstration which the Scripture gives us against creature worship is the strongest proof against creature mediation; for if they mediated, they must be worshiped.

The Scripture testimony must hold the fifth, and crowning place. We have heard the Apostle assert, (1 Tim. 2:5) that as there is one God, there is one Mediator, between God and men, and that this is the Being who gave himself a ransom for all. As the words, “one God,” doubtless express the exclusive unity of God, so we are bound to construe the counterpart words, “one Mediator,” in the same way. And it is implied that He who mediates must have given the adequate ransom, on which to found His plea. So, our Savior declares, (John 14:6) “No man cometh to the Father but by me,” and Peter, (Acts 4:12) “There is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby ye must be saved.” So, the words of Christ, (John 6:37) “Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out,” at least prove that any other intercessor is superfluous. It is said, that affirmations do not prove the counterpart negative. But when we find the Scriptures full of such passages as Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1, 2, which all assert with emphasis that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Mediator, and that there is an absolute silence throughout the Bible as to any other, even this proof is complete. Lectures, p., 482.

3) The attempt is made to escape the force of the places which assert the oneness of Christ’s intercession, by saying that He is the only Mediator of Redemption; saints and angels are Mediators of Intercession. On this subterfuge I remark. (a) 1 Tim. 2:5, asserts the singleness of Christ’s intercessory work first, and at least as pointedly as of His ransoming work. (b) Since intercession is grounded only in redemption by satisfaction, the two kinds of mediators must be one. (c) Roman Catholics themselves undermine their own distinction by impiously ascribing to their creature intercessors an imputable merit as the necessary ground of their influence with Christ. Lectures, pp., 482-483.

4) Christ Our Ransom. Again, He is said in many places to be our Redeemer—i. e., Ransomer—and His death or He, is our Ransom, Matt. 20:28; 1 Pet. 1:19; 1 Tim. 2:6; 1 Cor. 6:20. It is vain to reply that God is said to redeem His people in many places, when the only meaning is, that He delivered them, and that Moses is called the redeemer of Israel out of Egypt, who certainly did not do this by a vicarious penalty. Christ’s death is a proper ransom, because the very price is mentioned. Lectures, 511.

5) From Texts Teaching A Seeming Universality. The other class of objections is from the Scriptures; e. g., Those which speak of Christ as having compassion for, or dying for, “the whole world,” “all,” “all men,” “every man,” John 1:29; John 3:16; 4:42; 6:51; 2 Cor. 5:19; 1 John 1; John 12:32; 1 Cor. 15:22; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15; 1 Tim. 2:6; 1 Tim. 4:10; Heb. 2:9. The usual explanation, offered by the strict Calvinists, of these texts is this: that terms seemingly universal often have to be limited to a universality within certain bounds by the context, as in Matt. 3:5; that in New Testament times, especially when the gospel was receiving its grand extension from one little nation to all nations, it is reasonable to expect that strong affirmatives would be used as to its extent, which yet should be strained to mean nothing more than this, that persons of every nation in the world were given to Christ. Hence, “the world,” “all the world,” should be taken to mean no more than people of every nation in the world, without distinction. There is a certain amount of justice in these views, and many of these passages, as 1 Cor. 15:22; John 1:29, and 12:32, may be adequately explained by them. The explanation is also greatly strengthened by this fact too little pressed by Calvinists, that ultimately, the vast majority of the whole mass of humanity, including all generations, will be actually redeemed by Christ. There is to be a time, blessed be God, when literally all the then world will be saved by Christ, when the world will be finally, completely, and wholly lifted by Christ out of the gulf, and sink no more. So that there is a sense, most legitimate, in which Christ is the prospective Savior of the world. Lectures, p., 524-525.

6) To Express His Benevolence. God’s second design in making the common call universal was the exercise of the general holiness goodness, and compassion of His nature, (which generally regard all His creatures), in dissuading all from sin and self destruction. God’s holiness, which is universally opposed to sin, makes it proper that He shall dissuade from sin, every where, and in all sinners. God’s mercy and goodness, being made possible towards the human race by their being under a gospel dispensation, make it proper that He shall dissuade all from self destruction. And this benevolence not only offers a benefit to sinners generally, but actually confers one—i. e., a temporary enjoyment of a dispensation of mercy, and a suspension of wrath, with all the accompanying mercies, and the offer itself of salvation. This offer is itself a benefit, only man’s perverseness turns it into a curse. Blessed be God, His word assures us that this common call is an expression of sincere benevolence towards all sinners, elect and non-elect, (a compassion whose efficient outgoing is, however, conditioned, as to all, on faith and penitence in them). Ezek. 33:11; Ps. 81:13; 1 Tim. 2:4. Lectures p., 555.