Vindication of the Faithful Rebuke to a False Report, Letter 2
LETTER II. Of Christs Suffering in our Stead, and for our Good.
SIR, had I ever once denied that Christ suffered in our stead, or affirmed, that he suffered only for our Good, the offence you speak of had been Just; but as the Case really stands, 'tis nothing but the common Artifice of my Antagonist, who has summon'd in, and mustered up all the little Tricks of his fruitful Invention to represent me a Socinian; and the whole strength of his Argumentation lies in this sort of Cunning, which I shall neither Envy nor Imitate.
To give you a clear Account of this Matter, I will deduce it from the Original: Mr. Williams had owned that Christ suffered in our stead: The United Brethren did judge, that that Expression was sufficient to justifie his Orthodoxy, in the Point of Satisfaction: But the M. S. who had resolved before hand that Mr. W. should never be sound in the Faith as long as he lived, found something to Object; viz. That our modern Innovators had assumed to themselves a Priviledge of Imposing an Heterodox Sense upon sound Terms: This Answer I thought was the most disingenuous that ill Nature could ever give: And I replied to it, as it deserved: That then it seems, Mr. W's Words were Orthodox, and sound in themselves; and what would these unreasonable Men have him do? How shall he speak to please 'em? Must he use Heterodox Terms, and then qualifie them with a sound Meaning? They that revile him for speaking soundly, because others put an ugly meaning upon his Words, how would they have reviled him, had he spoken Heterodoxly, and then thought to salve all, with a sound meaning?
Ay, but (says M. S.) In our Place and Stead, with some signifies no more than for our Good: To which the Rebuke answered, it's impossible they should. And these are the Words that have raised the hideous outcry, that he is a Socinian, an Unitarian, and whatever else, this Gentlemans Rancour is pleas'd to bestow upon him: Now a few Words would serve to satisfie any one in this Point, whose Ill-Nature had not made him peevish, and whose Interest had not instigated that Ill-Nature.
For as nothing was, so nothing could, be further intended by those Words, than that our Lord Jesus, in every Particular, in every Branch of his Sufferings, had in his Eye, and did keep upon his Heart, the Spiritual and Eternal Good and Happiness of all those whom the Father had given him: And though he transacted the whole affair of Redemption, nextly, and immediately with God, yet all did terminate and issue out ultimately in the Good of the Elect and his own Redeemed ones.
Tota Mediatoris Natura est Relativa: All that Christ did or suffer'd was Relative: It respected God or Man: As his undertaking respected God, it was satisfactory; as it respected Man, it was Beneficial and Saving: In respect of God, all was in our stead; as it respected Man, all was for our Good: And whatever direct and immediate influence they had on God, yet in their last Resort in their Fruits and Effects, the Benefit would redound to Man.
And I would gladly see these Men try their Wits, and assign us one single Instance of the Sufferings of Christ, but it did Terminate in our good: Let 'em name any one branch of those Sufferings, which were really in our stead, and at the same time I will prove, that they were for our good, and for nothing more, nothing beyond our Good.
The Defence it self has dropt a word, P. 13. that unawares will clear this business. Christ's suffering for our Good, respects only Man; very true, and it was in respect of Man only, that I affirmed, It was impossible it should be for more than our Good.
Could our Author have considered, as he could not but see, P. 35 of Rebuke; he could have given himself Satisfaction what my Judgment was in this matter; but then it would have spoiled the Glorious Design to represent me a Socinian: Thus I express it. That which Christ suffered in our stead, was for our Good: To bear the Punishment due to our Sins, was certainly for our good, that we might not bear 'em in our own Persons: To make Satisfaction to Divine Iustice, was undoubtedly for the good of lost Sinners, that they might not be eternally in Hell, always satisfying, but never having satisfied. That by his Death and Sufferings, he delivered us from the greatest Evils, and purchased for us the greatest Blessings, was certainly all for our good. So that he argues against me, just as the Socinians do against the Orthodox. If for our Good (say he and they) then not in our stead; whereas I will invert the Argument, If in our stead, then, and therefore for our Good, because in our stead: And I must add, Had not those Sufferings of Christ been in our stead, they had not been for our good, as to any thing but what perhaps we might have had without them.
Sir, Tho thus much might satisfie you about my Orthodoxy, yet I cannot satisfie my self, without a further clearing this great Truth of Christ's suffering in our stead against the Socinians, and I bespeak your Patience in perusing these few Particulars.
1. There are many Scriptures which expresly Assert, That he died and suffered, gave himself for us, for us sinners, Matth. 20. 28, The Son of Man came to give his Life, a Ransom for many, foreign: 1 Tim. 2. 6. Who gave himself a Ransom for All: foreign. A counter-Ransom for All, 1 Pet. 3. 18. Christ hath once suffered for sins; the Iust for the Unjust to bring us to God: foreign. Now the Rebuke did, and does still judge, that these Phrases from the force of the Prepofitions foreign and foreign, especially in conjunction with Christ's Sufferings, do necessarily import, and imply that Christ suffered, died, gave himself properly and penally in our place and stead; and this we are ready to maintain against the Socinians, p. 9. And Mr. Williams has owned as much as this comes to, in acknowledging Christ in his Sufferings was an foreign, that he gave Life for Life, Soul for Soul, Person for Person, and for our Sins too, that is in our ordinary receiv'd Phrase, he died in our stead.
2. That the Socinians have wretchedly perverted the true Intendment of these Texts, by glossing and diluting their true Intendment thus; he died for us, gave himself for us: That is, say they, for our Good indeed, but not properly in our stead.
3. That they may give some colour to their Subterfuges, they assign some certain Benefits to the Death of Christ; as to give us an Heroick Example of Suffering whatever Persecutions for the Profession of the Christian Religion; and to confirm the Truth of his Doctrine by sealing it with his Blood, and some few others.
4. In return to which, we say, 1. That it was a far greater Good, that Christ by his Death procured for us: Dan. 9. 24. To finish Transgression, to make an end of Sins, to make reconciliation for Iniquity, to bring in everlasting Righteousness: In order to which, p. 26. The Messiah must be cut off, but not for himself: And Heb. 9. 26. Now once in the end of the World, hath he appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself. 2. We say that these and other ends of his Death and Sufferings, could never have been procured, had not Christ according to the Father's Ordination, and his own consent, suffer'd in our stead, and made himself an expiatory and propitiatory Sacrifice. And 3. We say, that all the Ends which the Socinians have assigned to the Death of Christ, might have been attained without the Death of Christ, the Doctrine was confirmed by Miracles; and the encouragement to suffer the utmost for the Christian Religion, was from the Promises of present assistance under them, and the Recompence of Reward to them.
5. That the satisfying Divine Justice in our stead, and procuring thereby our good, are by no means to be considered as opposite, but subordinate: For as I would answer an Antinomian; let him give us one Instance in which Christ suffered in our stead, which did not Terminate in our Good: So would I say to a Socinian; let him shew me an Instance of any Spiritual Good, which he could possibly procure or purchase, without suffering in our stead. And here is the great Demonstration of the Divine Goodness, that he has not separated his own Glory from the Spiritual and Eternal Good of the Elect; and thus has our Blessed Redeemer secured both the Demands of Justice, and at the same time the Salvation of the Elect.
To draw to a Conclusion of this Discourse: You observe that our Author's singular Gift and Talent is, Misrepresentation; and this great Gift (wherever he had it, or how he came by it, I know not) he exercises through his whole Defence, to revile me as a Soc inian, an English Unitarian; this he brings in by Head and Shoulders, Vapours with it, Triumphs in it, over looking that thro the whole Rebuke this Calumny had been abundantly obviated, of which I will now give you overabundant evidence.
Reb. p. 6. That Christ was made Sin, a Sacrifice for sin, that he bore the Curse due for sin, is so express the Language of the Scripture, that he who denies the former, must disbelieve the latter.
Reb. p. 8. Certainly when Christ our only and ever Blessed Mediator, stood in our place and stead, when he made his Soul an Offering for sin; when the Lord laid on him the Iniquities of us All: There was a Change of Christ's Person for Sinners: He was substituted in their room and stead.
Again, ibid. There is a Change, all own it; there was so under the Law, Iustice allowed that the Offender should live, the Sacrifice die: There is so under the Gospel, that Christ suffered, the believing sinner is discharged, just as Abraham sacrificed the Ram by God's own appointment; for, that is in the stead of Isaac.
In a word: As I have always uniformly asserted, that Christ suffered and satisfied in our stead, so shall I always Assert, that Christ suffered and satisfied for our good; and tho I never affirmed that Christ died or suffered only for our good; (which is the falshood the Author would impose upon the Reader and my self) so I did Assert, That it was impossible he should die for more than our good; seeing he was pleased to make the Salvation and eternal good of those whom the Father had given him, whom he had in his Eye and upon his Heart, the great Commanding End unto which he referred all his Obedience, Active and Passive; so that Christ had nothing more, nothing farther, nothing beyond that in his Eye: But of these things thus far.
Sir, I am yours, as you know, &c▪