The Anatomy of Arminianism, Chapter 27
CHAP. XXVII.
How farre, and in what ſence Chriſt died for all. The opinions of the parties.
I. THE Arminians are of opinion, that Chriſt by his death obtained & got remiſſion of ſins, Coll. Page 130. Chriſtut omnibus per mortem impetrauit recenciliationem & remiſſionem peccatorum. Collat. Hag. P. 183. Non omnibus merito ſuo partam ſalutem conſert etiamſi omnthusſit acquiſita.reconciliation, & ſaluation for all, & particular men: Nor doe they doubt to ſay, that by the death of Chriſt, reconciliation was obtained for Pharaoh, Saul, Iudas, and Pilate, not as they were reprobates, but as they were ſinners: For God doth equally intend and deſire the ſaluation of all men; and that the incredulity of man is the cauſe that remiſſion and reconciliation is not applied to all.
Yet Vorſtius alone, the champion of the Arminians, doth ſtagger in this queſtion, and doth ſeeme to be more prone to the contrary opinion. In the 56. Page Collat. cum Piſcat. He ſaith that Chriſt was deliuered by God to death, not for the elect alone, but for all men whatſoeuer, at leaſt for them that are called.
III. They thinke that the end which God propounded to himſelfe in deliuering his Sonne to death, was not to apply this benefit to ſome certaine men; nor doe they thinke that Chriſt was appointed to death, by the preciſe will of God; to ſaue man, for Chriſt was appointed to death by his father, before God thought of ſauing of men, and therefore that he was appointed to death without that reſpect, that they which beleeue in him ſhould be ſaued. Greuinchouius, Page 21. doth ſay expreſſely, that reconciliation being obtained, there was yet no neceſſity of application, that is, after ſaluation and reconciliation for all men was obtained, there was no neceſſity that any one ſhould be ſaued, and it was poſſible that no man in act ſhould be reconciled: Becauſe he will hauehave the decree of ſending Chriſt, in order, to goe before the decree of ſauing thoſe which beleeue, and therefore that God determined to ſend his Sonne, when he had not yet determined to ſaue thoſe which beleeue. But the Arminians would hauehave this to be the end which God propounded to himſelfe in ſending his Sonne, to wit, to make the ſaluation of men poſſible, and to lay open a way for himſelfe, whereby hee might ſaue finners, without any hurt to his iuſtice. By this meanes, they ſay, God hath gotten power of ſauing man, becauſe without the death of Chriſt, Greuinch. Pag. 15.16.17.by which the iuſtice of God was ſatisfied, God could not be willing to ſaue men.
IV. And if no man had beleeued in Chriſt, yet Chriſt (if theſe men be beleeued) had obtained that end which he propounded to himſelfe in dying: For they denie that he died to ſaue any man precifely, but that the ſaluation of man might be made poſſible, and a gate might be opened vntounto him to ſaluation, which is left free for man by the helpe of grace to enter, or not to enter.
V. Vide Collat. Hag. p. 172. Greum. p. 8.9. Deus applicationem reconnliationes amnibus nec voluit nec noluit, &c.They diſtinguiſh therefore, betweene the obtaining of reconciliation and the application of it. They contend that reconciliation and remiſſion of ſinnes, is obtained for all, which yet is applied onelyonly to them that beleeue: That all men are giuen to Chriſt in the right of ſaluation, but not in the communication of ſaluation: That God hath neither willed nor nilled the application of reconciliation (that is, faith and ſaluation) to all men, but he hath thus willed it, if they beleeue, if they will receiue grace.
VI. Armin in Perkinſ. Page 77. & 78.The ſame men alſo doe deny, that Chriſt on the croſſe ſuſtained the perſon of the elect, or that he died for the elect: Becauſe election had not then place, for election is ſomething that is after the death of Chriſt.
VII. They ſay indeede that Chriſt offered himſelfe for a ſacrifice for all men, but as concerning his interceſſion, they are not conſtant to themſelues in that, *Greuinch P. 46. Chriſtus quoad actum oblationis omnium …m nino hominam ſacerd…s ſuit etiam Pharaonis, &c Ib… per oblationē vult fi…ri impetration …, per interceſſionem …ere applicationem.ſometimes they will hauehave him to make interceſſion onelyonly for the ſaithfull, as if ſomething might be obtained without interceſſion: Sometimes they make two kindes of interceſſion, *Coll Ha. p. 187. Reſpondemus dup…cē eſſe interceſſ…onem vnam generalem quae …otum mundum ſpectat, alteram particularē quae ad ſol…s credemtes p…rti…es.one generall and common to all, another particular, which is onelyonly peculiar to the elect.
VIII. We doe very much differ from this opinion: We acknowledge that Chriſt died for all; but we denie, that by his death ſaluation and forgiueneſſe of ſinne is obtained for all men: Or that reconciliation, is made for Cain, Pharaoh, Saul, Iudas, &c. Neither doe wee thinke that remiſſion of ſinnes is obtained for any one, whoſe ſinnes are not remitted, or that ſaluation was purchaſed for him, whom God from eternity hath decreed to condemne: For this were a vaine purcha…e. We denie that election is after the death of Chriſt, as for many other cauſes, ſo alſo becauſe Chriſt in the very agony of death gaue a notable proofe of election in the theefe, whoſe heart he affected, and enlightned his minde after an vnvtterable manner; the other theefe being left and neglected. And ſeeing Chriſt doth eueryevery where ſay that he died for his ſheepe, and for thoſe whom his father gaue him, he doth ſufficiently declare that he died for the elect.
IX. And when we ſay that Chriſt died for all, we take it thus, to wit, that the death of Chriſt is ſufficient to ſaue whoſoeuer doe beleeue, yea, and that it is ſufficient to ſaue all men, if all men in the whole world did beleeue in him: And that the cauſe why all men are not ſaued, is not in the inſufficiency of the death of Chriſt, but in the wickedneſſe and incredulity of man. Finally Chriſt may be ſaid to reconcile all men to God by his death, after the ſame manner, that we ſay that the Sunne doth enlighten the eyes of all men, although many are blinde, many ſleepe, and many are hid in darkeneſſe: Becauſe if all and ſeuerall men had their eyes, and were awake, and were in the middeſt of the light, the light of the Sunne were ſufficient to enlighten them. Neither is it any doubt but that it may be ſaid, not onelyonly that Chriſt died for all men, but alſo that all men are ſaued by Chriſt, becauſe among men, there is none ſaued but by Chriſt: After the ſame manner that the Apoſtle ſaith, 1. Cor. 15.20, that all men are made aliue by Chriſt, becauſe no man is made aliue but by him.