The Application of Redemption, Book 1 · Section · Subsection 2
The Reasons of the Doctrine come now to be scanned.
Christ died and merited either for his, and the faithfulReas. 1. only; or for all indifferently. If for all; then … shed his blood, suffered the pains of the first and the second death, and performed whatever was due unto Divine Justice in the behalf of the unfaithful; and such which are and shal be damned, and that in their stead as their surety; for that's the meaning of those phrases, He laid down his life for his sheep, Joh. 10. 11. He gave himself for his Church, Eph. 5. 25. that is, he suffered and performed all in their room as their surety, Heb. 7. 22. And that he must be their surety, and in their stead perform all, may appear divers waies.
1 For as the first Adam was a common person and head of the first Covenant, and did covenant with God for himself and his, so that what he performed or failed in, they were all subject unto the same condition, and should in the same manner partake thereof: So the Lord Christ the second Adam, he is the head of the second Covenant of Grace, and therefore engaged himself unto God the Father, as a common pledg for himself and his posterity that shall come of ….
2 What the Lord Christ … and performed that the Law exacted, and the Father required of him even when he endured the direful indignation of God the Father, and bore the sierceness of his fury seizing upon him: But the Father could neither in Equity exact these punishments, or in Justice … them upon him for any desert of his own, for any thing he had that was evil, or any thing he did commit which … contrary to his righteous Will, and holy Rule of the Law: Being wholly … from all sin, he should be freed from all plagues and death, which is the … of sin: where there is no …, no sorrow, no … can be: His punishments which he endured, and God exacted (for there was nothing done, but according Act. 4. 28.to his counsel) were for sin, therefore for … sins imputed to him, therefore he was surety in … room, therefore if he suffereed for all, he had the … of all imputed, and so was surety in the place or all.
3 Lastly, The necessity of this consequence … appears: For whom the Lord Christ is not … for them there is no salvation to be expected: for … it be conceived that our Savior should willingly endureJoh. 10 18. such torments, though never required of God (which is false, for he had a command to lay down his life) or, that he should have done it meerly of his own pleasure, not undertaking for any, not tendering of it in any mans name or stead; he could require nothing at the hands of God the Father, and God the Father might in Justice deny him or any other any recompence; For if a man will freely give so much money out of his own liberal …, though it countervail a debt due unto me, yet being tendered in no mans name, I am not bound to cancel any mans bond, or remit his debt: the Answer is, It was not paid for …. It's then cleer, if Christ died for all the wicked, … he suffered and died as a Surety in their room and ….
… that he did not: For if he paid all as their …, then God in Justice cannot exact the payment … r hands, nor inflict the plagues upon their …. require two payments for one debt; to punish the … and Surety for the same offence, that Justice Christ should be satisfied in the behalf of all (this … beloved Son in whom I am …) andMatt. 3. 17. … that satisfaction should again be required, Justice …, yea, common sence abhors. The damned and … are now paying the debt in Hell, … God in Justice requires it, therefore his Justice … not satisfied, therefore Christ did not satisfie for ….
… God the Father intended the benefit and … Reas. 2.of all by the death and blood-shed of Christ, and … also undertook and discharged it for that end, … that seriously and throughly, then the Lord Jesus … use those means which might be most useful and … to attain it; then he would pray for them … his sufferings which he did intend for their good, … be made available thereunto, for that is an … and ever speeding means. But Christ professeth …, nor would not pray for the world, John, 17. 9. … for them, I pray not for the world; and the … proves it, for what Christ praies for, that he …, John, 11. 22. 42. I know that thou hearest me …: but this is not obtained, therefore was … desired, therefore not intended by Christ, … for this end our Savior did not lay down his life, undertake his sufferings: For what he suffered, that he intended, his own end was most serious in own intention; that he intended, he desired; that he …, he obtained: that he obtained not, he desired not, and that he intended not, therefore for that … he did not suffer.
If it be said, He did pray for those that … Object.him, and yet many of those were not saved, nor … prayers heard, Luke, 23. 34. Father, forgive … they know not what they do.
His Crucifiérs were of two sorts: 1 … Answ.Scribes and Pharisees; most of these knew what … did, for they sinned the fin against the Holy … Mat. 12. 24. to 33. 2 Other poor ignorant … who were swayed by the sinful example of … Governors, and like the blind followed the blind … they fell into the ditch, shed that blood that … them; they were the cause of his death, that was … means to bring them to life and happiness, 1 Cor. … 8. Had they known it, they would not have … the Lord of Glory. Now many of those shared in … blessing of our Saviors prayer, Acts, 2. 37. … assuredly that you have crucified the Lord of … they heard, and were pricked in their hearts, … the word, and the remission of their sins, … were added to the Church. They pierced the … of Christ to take away his blood, Christ pierced … hearts to take away their sins; Christs prayers … much more than Peters preaching; they … his destruction and death, and he then wrought … salvation: He sent his prayers to Heaven, … Luk. 23. 34.forgive them, the Lord sent down his grace, and … obtained the remission of Their sins.
If Christ died, and by his death merited … Reas. 3.for all, why then are not all saved? for the … God is satisfied, that will not hinder their … sin and Satan are subdued and vanquished by his … and they cannot hinder it, Heb. 2. 15. By … destroyed him that had the power of death, that … the Devil, and delivered them who through the … … death were all their lives long subject unto …. Those for whom Christ died, their salvation … be frustrate, nor they deprived of it; God will …, sin and Satan cannot hinder it: but all are not …, therefore for all salvation is not merited by the … of Christ.
The old shift and pretended plea of the Papists andObject. … to put by the dint of this Argument is this; … is (say they) a broad and wide difference to be … between the merits of Christ, and the application …, the death of Christ is sufficient, quoad …, non quoad applicationem; it's available … obtain salvation for all men, but that the good and … which is obtained is not applied, the … of that is in mens unbeleef: As in a Medicine … and prepared and appointed to cure, but some … not take it: As a ransom to deliver, but some will … receive it.
The Reply is this: That this pretence is in truth aAnsw. … of words, but reacheth not the main strength … force of the Argument alleaged, which stands still …, as it shall thus appear: for I demand, If … hath fully purchased salvation, what hinders … it is not applied? They will say (and they must …, for they can say no other) their infidelity is that … hinders, they will not trust in a Christ, or come … him that they may be saved. But the sting and … of the Argument prevented this cavil before it … to be pleaded, so that this comes too late: for it … said, … Christ be a perfect Savior, and hath … salvation for his, at the hand of Divine Justice, … God in Justice will not hinder, Sin and Satan … hinder: When the Law is satisfied, the prisoner … be released; Christ came for this end, and he … the end he came for, He saves his people from Matt. 1. 21.… sins; Then from all sin original actual, then from infidelity, they are saved from that, and … Gal. 1. 4.that cannot hinder.
Besides, if Christ be no otherwise a Savior than only to merit so much for them, and to offer so much … unto them, that they may receive it if they w ll, and refuse it if they list, then the execution of Gods …, our Saviors Purpose in Dying, and the Fruit and Success of his Death, is lastly resolved into the … man, and meerly depends thereupon; so that if … men would, our Savior might have died in vain, … prayed in vain, and no man ever attained … thereby, if they would, and as they may (and mought according to this Doctrine of Devils) resist the … of the blood of Christ and his Spirit, and their … Salvation purchased for them by Christ.
So that the Seed of the Woman did not break the Serpents head, Gen. 3. 15. It was not certain that … Savior should see his Seed, Isa. 53. 10. Our Savior Christ was mistaken, when he said, I have other … Joh 10 16.those also I must bring, they shall … my voice: they might reply, But we may chuse, and Christ must … us leave.
It hence follows, That our Savior Christ is not so able to save as Adam to destroy; Its not in the Will of Adams Posterity to stop the guilt and filth of his … to seiz upon them to their condemnation, but the first Adam will undoubtedly pollute and condemn all those that he Covenanted for; and … the second Adam cannot save ánd sanctifie all that he … for, contrary to the triumph of the Apostle, Rom. 5. 15. If through the offence of one, many be dead: much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
It hence follows, Christ hath purchased a right to all Spiritual good, but not the Communication and Possession thereof undoubtedly to be bestowed, contrary … Job. 17. 19. For their sakes I sanctifie my self that … also may be sanctified, Eph. 1. 3.
Lastly, How deeply injurious and dishonorable is … this to our blessed Saviour? How derogatory to … Wisdom to purpose that he can never accomplish? How cross to his power, that he should aim at that by … Death, which either Satan or mans corruption … be more able to cross than he to effect? Nay, How senseless and unreasonable is it that Gods justice … hinder this work, and yet sin should, when all … strength that sin hath is indeed from the Law (the … of sin is the Law) 1 Cor. 15. 56. from that Commission which Divine Justice puts into its …?
If Christ Merited and Purchased Redemption forReas. 4 All, then he Wills and intends seriously that all should … saved, then he will afford the means to attain it, for … end and the means (the end in intention, and the … in execution) go both together, and none in … sever them, much less will the Lord, who is … Author of all wisdom, Rom. 10. 17. Faith comes … Hearing, and Hearing by the Word of God.
But Sense and Experience of all men of all ages makes it beyond question, That God gives not the means of Salvation to All, Psal. 147. 19. He hath given his word unto Israel, he hath not dealt so with … Nation: Paul makes it the priviledge of … Jew, to them was committed the Oracles of God, Rom. 3. 2. They alone Called, they alone in …, they alone honored with all the Priviledges of allActs 17. 30. Gods Ordinances. Yea, the Lord neglected the … condition of the Gentiles in former ages, heEph. 2. 12. … not after them, cared not for them, nay, they … without God, without Christ, without Hope, a far off, not within the ken and call of Salvation. … such is the condition of many Nations of the … at this day, who have not so much as any means of … granted unto them, nor any sound of the Gospel of Christ amongst them: Now, do any in … prepare Physick for the good of another, and yet … Patient never have it, never hear of it?
The Answer which is here made by Papists and … Object.is this, That though God doth not afford equal external means of Calling, yet he calls all, … therefore they make a double kind of Calling. 1 … diately by the Law. 2 Immediately by the … Not that the Law can cause Faith in Christ … but only in way of preparation by these degrees, … Lord hath left the work of the Law and the … of his Image in the nature of man, and withal hath … forded him so much, and so many helps out of … creatures to manifest his goodness and majesty to … that if he use this stock well, he out of his bounty … afford him the Gospel and other saving means to … him to Faith and so to Happiness, and to this … that place is usually alleadged, Rom. 1. 19, 20. … which may be known of God is manifest in them, … If they use this light of Nature well, God will … them the light of Grace; when they abuse that … have, its just with God to with-hold what they … and to take away that he gave.
To this I Reply: The Ground of the … Answ.1 False. 2 Vain.
False, Because it crosseth that Liberty which … Lord challengeth and useth in the dispensation of … means of Salvation, without any respect to the … use of the gifts of Nature; The Lord chose a … to himself of the weakest and the worst, (Deut. 7. Deut. 9. 5. 6. The Lord set his love upon thee, … … …, for thou art a stiff necked … Eph. 2. …he set up a partition wall between them and … meerly out of his own good pleasure: whereas … to this Opinion had the Gentiles used their … well, they might have pulled down the partition ….
2 Its contrary to that experience we have of Gods … in the sending of the means that many times … who abuse them most they enjoy them, those who … have used them … they want them, Matt. 1. 21. … to thee Corazin, Wo to thee …, … the great works been done in Sodom ànd … which have been done in thee, they would … repented in sackcloth and ashes.
As its a false, so its a vain Conceit: Because no man … ever have the means of grace vouchsafed upon … condition, in that no man ever did, or in truth will … the Condition: for then are these Gifts used … when they attain their end, they then attain their … when they are used in a right order and … to God and his Glory (Rom. 1. 21.) so as to … God as God, but no natural man did, or ever will … this.
Instruction. From the Doctrine delivered we may … to Answer some Cases of Conscience which … Vse 1.our Spiritual Estates, and Comforts.