The Christian Warfare Part 1, Book 2 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Of our Redemption.
§. Sect. 1 ANd thus much concerning our election and the certaintie thereof. The next cauſe of our ſaluation is our redemption by Ieſus Chriſt: for as the Lord hath from all eternitie elected vsus to ſaluation, of his meere merciemercy without any reſpect of our works or worthines; ſo he hath ordained in this his eternal decree, our Sauiour Chriſt to bee the Mediatour who ſhould worke the worke of our ſaluation, and as it were the conduit whereby hee would conuey his grace, merciemercy and euerlaſting ſaluation vntounto vsus; and hath ſet him apart to be our Sauiour and Redeemer, who ſhould ſaue and deliuer vsus out of the captiuitie and bondage of our ſpirituall enemies, and reſtore vsus to the glorious libertie of the ſonnes of God.
Redemption what it is.This our redemption is an effect of Gods election, whereby our Sauiour Chriſt (being ſet apart of his father for this purpoſe) hath freed and deliuered all Gods elect out of the captiuitie of their ſpirituall enemies, ſinne death and the diuell; by offring himſelfe for the price of their redemption, and a ſufficient ſacrifice for ſinne, for the appeaſing of his fathers diſpleaſure and ſatisfying of his iuſtice; to the end that being deliuered, they may ſerue him in holineſſe and righteouſneſſe all the daies of this life, and afterwards may inherit the kingdome of glorie, and the crowne of eternall happineſſe which is purchaſed for them.
The definition explaned.Firſt I ſay, that it is an effect of Gods election; for whom he had choſen to euerlaſting life in Chriſt, thoſe by Chriſt he hath ſaued and redeemed, and thoſe only as we ſhall ſee afterwards.
Secondly, I ſhew who is our Sauiour and Redeemer, namely Chriſt Ieſus, who only ſaueth vsus from our ſinnes, as it is Matth. 1.21; Neither is there ſaluation in any other, as it is Act. 4.12.Matth. 1.21. Act. 4.12. For as there is but one God, ſo there is but one Mediatour between God and man, which is the man Ieſus Chriſt, as it is 1. Tim. 2.5.1. Tim. 2.5. And by him alone we hauehave redemption through his bloud, euen the forgiueneſſe of ſinnes, and that without any reſpect of our worthineſſe, but according to his rich grace, Eph. 1.7.Eph. 1.7. Luk. 1.68. And though we do not exclude God the Father, from the worke of our redemption, for he is the author and firſt cauſe, who hath ſo loued vsus that hee ſent his ſonne to ſaue and redeeme vsus; nor the holy Ghoſt who applieth vntounto vsus the merits and efficacie of Chriſts death, making them effectuall for our ſaluation; yet if we ſpeake properly, our Sauiour Chriſt onelyonly can be called our Redeemer, and that in theſe reſpects; firſt, becauſe he alone was ordained and deputed to perfect the worke of our redemption; ſecondly, becauſe he onelyonly was God and man, both which were neceſſarily required in our Mediatour and Redeemer, that hee might hauehave full right and abilitie to redeeme vsus; thirdly, becauſe hee alone gaue himſelfe to bee the price of our redemption; and laſtly, becauſe in him onelyonly there is perfect redemption as being our head, who not only hath ſaluation in himſelfe, but alſo deriueth it to all the members of his bodie.
Thirdly, I ſet downe the captiuitie it ſelfe out of which wee were redeemed; namely, not the captiuitie of Egypt or Babylon, nor out of the ſlauerie of the Turke, Spaniard, or any other earthly Tyrant, whoſe thraldome might well be bitter but not long, becauſe our liues are ſhort; and grieuous to the bodie, but extendeth not to the ſoule: but Chriſt hath deliuered vsus out of the bondage of ſinne, Sathan, hell and death, in which we ſhould hauehave been enthralled and fearefully tormented for euer and euer, not in bodie alone but in ſoule alſo.
§. Sect. 2 Fourthly,1. Pet. 1.18. How Chriſt is ſaid to hauehave bought vsus with a price. I ſhew the price which hee hath giuen for our redemption, namely, not ſiluer and gold, or any corruptible thing, but himſelf; euen his bodie to be crucified and his bloud to bee ſhed, that ſo his fathers iuſtice being ſatisfied and his wrath appeaſed, wee might be ſet free out of the thraldome of our ſpirituall enemies. But it may be demaunded, how it can truly be ſaid that Chriſt hath redeemed vsus by paying the price of our redemption, ſeeing the ſcriptures teſtifie that by his power hee hath forcibly deliuered vsus out of the hands of our ſpirituall enemies. So Heb. 2.14. it is ſaid, that Chriſt destroyed him who had the power of death, that is the diuell. And Col. 2.15. the Apoſtle ſheweth, that hee hath ſpoyled principalities and powers, and hath led them openly and triumphed ouer them. And Luk. 11.22. hee is compared to a valiant champion who hath thruſt the ſtrong man Sathan out of his poſſeſſion: by which it may appeare, that our Sauiour hath not redeemed vsus by giuing a price after a legall manner, but by force, and as it were by conqueſt. I anſwere, that Chriſt hath both paid the price of our redemption, and alſo hath deliuered vsus forcibly by his power; for hee paid the price vntounto God to whom hee offered the ſacrifice of himſelfe, that it might be a full ſatisfaction for ſinne, and a ſufficient price to redeeme vsus out of the captiuitie of our ſpirituall enemies, and to purchaſe the fauour of God, and our heauenlie inheritance in his kingdome: and therefore in reſpect of God the Father, to whom our Sauiour offred himſelfe, hee is ſaid to hauehave redeemed vsus by giuing a ranſome for vsus. But when Gods iuſtice was fully ſatisfied, Chriſt dealt not with our ſpirituall enemies by intreatie (much leſſe offred hee this price of our redemption to Sathan; for if no ſacrifice might lawfully bee offered vntounto any ſaue God alone, much more vnlawfull was it that this ſacrifice of Chriſts bodie, ſhould be offred vntounto the diuell) but by his almightie power hee ouercame the power of darkneſſe, vanquiſhed Sathan, ſubdued death, and broke open the priſon of the graue, and ſo by ſtrong hand ſet all Gods elect at libertie. For after that the debt of our ſinnes was diſcharged, our ranſome paid, and the handwriting of ordinances cancelled and nailed vntounto the croſſe, theſe our ſpirituall enemies had no iuſt intereſt vntounto vsus, nor any thing to alledge why they ſhould longer hold vsus in their captiuitie; but yet the ſtrong man who had taken poſſeſſion would not willingly loſe it, vnleſſe hee were ouercome with a greater ſtrength: and therefore our Sauiour Chriſt hauing bought vsus of his father, and ſo become our true owner, buckled with our ſpirituall enemies, ouercame theſe principalities and powers, triumphed gloriouſly ouer them, and freed vsus out of their tyrannicall iuriſdiction.
But it may bee obiected that wee were captiues vntounto Sathan, and therefore the price of redemption was to be paied vntounto him, and not vntounto God the father who held vsus not in his captiuitie. I anſwere that though Sathan held vsus in his captiuitie, yet not in his owne right, for wee had not ſinned againſt him to whom we were not bound to performe obedience, nor were indebted vntounto him; but wee had ſinned againſt God, whoſe ſeruants wee were by right of creation, and had infinitly runne into his debt, which we were altogether vnable to pay; and therefore like a iuſt iudge he condemned vsus to the perpetuall priſon of death, and committed vsus to the cuſtodie of Sathan, as vntounto a iaylor, to be kept in his bondage, till we had ſatiffied for our ſinnes and diſcharged our debt: which being impoſſible to vsus, our Sauiour Chriſt hauing aſſumed our nature and become our ſuretie and mediator, payed that we owed, and ſuffered that which we had deſcrued, and ſo fully ſatiſfying his fathers iuſtice, hath purchaſed our redemption; ſo as now Sathan had no more anthoritie to retaine vsus in his captiuitie, then the iaylor hath of holding him in priſon who by the iudge is releaſed, or the executioner of hanging him whom the iudge hath acquitted or pardoned. And therefore tyrannically exerciſing ſtill his iuriſdiction, our Sauiour by ſtrong hand ouercame him and all the power of hell, that ſo he might ſet vsus at libertie whom his fathers iuſt ſentence had acquitted and his merciemercy pardoned.
The laſt thing to be conſidered is the end of our redemption, namely that we ſhould no longer ſerue ſinne and Sathan, out of whoſe bondage wee are releaſed; but become the ſeruants of Chriſt, who hath redeemed vsus, ſeruing him in holines and righteouſnes all the daies of our liues; that ſo glorifying him here on earth, he may glorifie vsus in heauen, and make vsus partakers of thoſe euerlaſting ioyes, which by his death and bloodſhed he hath purchaſed for vsus.