The Sufferings of Christ, Part 2 · Section 2 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Of Atonement or Reconciliation.
Dialogu THe Fathers Atonement comprehendeth under it juſtification and adoption.
Theſe two parts of the Fathers atonement or reconciliation are evident by the effects, which all the Sacrifices of atonement under the Law did procure to poor beleeving ſinners (for all ſacrifices of atonement under the Law did typifie Chriſts Sacrifice of atonement) and they procured the Fathers atonement, which hath a threefold effect towards poor beleeving ſinners.
1. All Sacrifices of Atonement in generall were ordained to procure a ſavour of reſt unto Jehovah, namely to procure a ſavour of rest to God the Father.
2. The ſin-offerings (which were Sacrifices of atonement) were ordained by God to procure Gods merciful atonement, pardon, and forgiveneſſe to poor beleeving ſinners, by which means only ſinners are made ſinleſſe, that is to ſay, juſt and righteous in Gods ſight.
3. The burnt-offerings (which alſo were Sacrifices of Atonement) were ordained of God to procure his favourable acceptance towards poor beleeving ſinners, by receiving them into ſpeciall favour as Adopted ſinners.
Anſw. The Dialogue throughout all its Diſcourſe concerning Atonement, Par. 2. ſeemeth to underſtand pardon of ſinne by atonement: See pag. 151. and 162. here it ſeemeth by Atonement to underſtand reconciliation, and ſo indeed it is to be underſtood.
The Reader is here deſired to keep in minde, that our Queſtion is not, Whether juſtification and Adoption are parts of Atonement. The affirmative whereof, the Authour (therein following M. Wotton) aſſerts in this place. But whether the obedience of Chriſt be the matter of a ſinners righteouſneſſe. Although therefore that the Dialogue here ſaid the truth, yet it is impertinent, according to the ſenſe of the Orthodox, neither making for, nor againſt, as concerning the matter of the controverſie.
Atonement or Reconciliation, as alſo Juſtification and Adoption, are joint effects of the ſame cauſe, viz. the Mediatorly obedience of Chriſt, which was the Sacrifice of Atonement; but it doth not therefore follow that Juſtification and Adoption are parts of atonement, one joint or fellow-effect, becauſe a fellow-effect is not therefore a part of its fellow-effect.
foreignThough the Hebrew word that ſignifieth to cover ſin, and to expiate ſin, be tranſlated atonement (which Tranſlation the Dialogue hath formerly followed) and the Greek word ſignifying propitiation, which is the ſame in effect with reconciliation be generally aſcribed unto Chrsſt, Rom. 3.25. 1 Joh. 2.2. and 4.10. the cauſe put for the effect, becauſe Chriſt is our propitiation cauſally, Heb. 2.17. yet neither covering of ſin, nor the expiation of ſin, nor Chriſt himſelf is our reconciliation properly and formally; pardon of ſin is a neceſſary and inſeparable antecedent, Chriſt is the procurer, and expiation holds forth the manner of procuring reconciliation, but none of them are reconciliation it ſelf.
Reconciliation in generall,Reconciliation what? Ex hoc colligimus duplicem reconciliationem in Scripturis confiderari, unam generalem & applicabilem in cruce peractam, alteram particularem & applicatam. Dav. in Col. 1.23. is the reſtoring of friends after offence given and taken, or taken though not given, into the ſame condition of friendſhip, wherein they were before the offence was given or conceived to be given.
The Scripture mentions reconciliation under a double notion, either as procured Rom. 5.10. 2 Cor. 5.19. Col. 1.20. or as applied Rom. 4.11. Coloſ. 1.22. we ſpeak of it in the laſt notion only.
Becauſe man by reconciliation (though he be reſtored into a better, yet) is not rrſtored into the ſame eſtate formally, wherein he was before the fall: for then though he was a ſon, Luke 3.38. and in a ſtate of favour with God, yet he was not juſt, nor was his condition immutable, but now being reconciled, he is not only juſt but alſo in a ſtate of ſpeciall favour, a ſon, and his condition immutable; hence it may be deſcribed thus: Evangelicall reconciliation is a tranſient act of Gods ſpecial grace, whereby a beleever for the ſake of Chriſt (who is the propitiation for our ſin) received by faith, is reſtored into an eſtate of everlaſting favour, ſon-ſhip, and one-neſs of ſpirit.
Reconciliation notes a change of the parties reconciled,Auguſt. in Joan. tract. 110. and conſequently a change both in reſpect of God and man; on Gods part it infers no change in reſpect of affection, but in reſpect of the manifeſtation of his love and diſpenſation; God alwaies loveth the perſons of the elect,Lomba. l. 3. dist. 19. & diſt. 32. Thom. p. 3. q. 49. art. 4. ad 2. Calv. inſtit. l. 2. c. 16. ſect. 2, 3, 4. Dav. Col. 1.20. the love of God is an immanent act, and is nothing elſe but God himſelf loving. To affirm any change in God in reſpect of his affection, were to affirm, that God is unconſtant and mutable, to deny his immutability, and by conſequence to deny him to be God. By reconciliation Gods affection is not changed, but Gods diſpenſation and our condition and diſpoſition. That is taken away by the Mediatorly obedience of Chriſt, in reſpect of which God might juſtly have been angry with us for ever, and proceeded againſt us unto juſt condemnation.
In reſpect of man it notes a change in regard of ſtate, relation, and diſpoſition. A ſtate of favour and adoption are eſſentiall unto, therefore doubtleſſe parts of Evangelicall atonement or reconciliation. But whether juſtification preciſely conſidered be a part or neceſſary antecedent and means of Reconciliation, as there is no need of diſcuſſing in order to the reſolution of the preſent queſtion, ſo is it freely left to the judgment of the Reader, or to any after diſquiſition; only adding that ſatisfaction for an offence is an antecedent and means rather then a part of the reconciliation following thereupon, between ſuch as are made friends after variance.
Quamvis reconciliatio potius quiddam conſequens, & juſtificationis effectus ſit. Syn. pur. Theol. diſ. 33. n. 6.Reconciliation (ſay the Leiden Divines) is rather a conſequent and effect of juſtification. And both that Text, God was in Chriſt reconciling the world unto himſelf, not imputing their treſpaſſes unto them, 2 Cor. 5.19. and the Analogy of faith may as well bear an interpretation agreeable hereunto as any other, thus: God was in Chriſt reconciling the world unto himſelf, how? by not imputing their treſpaſſes unto them; ſo as the not-imputation of ſinne may ſeem to be an antecedent and means rather then a part of atonement or reconciliation.
Dialogu Therefore his forgiveneſſe of ſin is not only a bare acquittance of the fault, but it doth comprehend under it his receiving of ſinners into favour. And I do alſo grant that his receiving of ſinners into favour must be diſtinguiſhed as another part of Gods Atonement.
Anſw. Here you do not obſcurely (what before you did in effect expreſly, viz.) make forgiveneſſe and receiving into favour parts of Gods atonement: yet pag. 154. lin▪ 19. you make them effects of the Fathers atonement. If they be parts, they cannot be effects, if effects they cannot be parts, becauſe the part is before the whole, i. e. its integrum, but the effect is after the cauſe; you may as well make the ſame thing before and after it ſelf as make theſe ſtand together.
Dialogu. This alſo muſt be remembred, that no other perſon in Trinity doth forgive ſins formally but God the Father only; Mar. 2.7. Col. 2.13. he of his free grace did ordain the Mediatour, as the meritorious procuring cauſe of his forgiveneſſe, and therefore it is ſaid that he doth forgive us all our ſins for Chriſts ſake, Epheſ. 4.32. ſometimes Chriſt is ſaid to forgive ſins, Col. 3.3. but ſtill we muſt underſtand his forgiveneſſe to be in a Mediatoriall way, not formally.
Anſw. The acts or works of God are of three ſorts: Eſſentiall, whoſe principle is the divine eſſence ſubſiſting in the relative properties of Father, Sonne, and holy Ghoſt, its object the creature: Perſonal, whoſe both principle and object or term is one or more of the three perſons; or mixt, the principle whereof is the divine eſſence, the object or term one of the perſons, ſuch is the Incarnation, having the divine eſſence for its principle, the ſecond perſon for its term or object.
The externall eſſentiall works of God are wrought jointly, immediatly and formally by all the perſons; becauſe the principle of them is the divine eſſence,Eſsentiae in perſonis non diſcrepat potentia. Aug. in Joan. tract. 20. which is common to all the three perſons; the Son is God of himſelf, the holy Ghoſt is God of himſelf, the deniall herof argueth no little ignorance of the nature of God.
The Father (father being taken eſſentially) forgiveth ſinne formally and authoritatively as the Supreme Lord, Chriſt as Mediatour formally and authoritatively by an authority derived as a ſubordinate Lord. When we ſay Chriſt forgiveth ſin formally, the meaning is, he actually taketh away ſin by an authoritative and judiciall diſcharging the ſinner from the guilt and puniſhment thereof, and doth not only declare the forgiveneſſe of ſinne, as the Miniſtery doth.
Dialogu And whereas I have oftentimes in this Treatiſe made Gods atonement to comprehend under it our Redemption from ſin, as well as our juſtification and adoption; I would have you take notice that I do not mean that Gods atonement doth contain under it Redemption as another diſtinct point differing from juſtification; but I make our redemption and freedom from ſin by the Fathers atonement, to be all one with our juſtification from ſinne.
Anſw. Redemption is taken actively, Luk. 2.38. for the purchaſing of grace and glory for the elect by laying down of a price, ſo Redemption is the meritorious cauſe, and atonement is an effect; Or paſſively, for the good of Redemption applied, Rom. 8.23. ſo redemption is the whole, and atonement is the part; but atonement whether it be taken for reconciliation or for freedom from ſin, can in neither ſenſe be the ſame with redemption. Forgiveneſſe of ſin Eph. 1.7. Col. 1.14. is mentioned as a principall, but neither there or elſewhere as the totall good of redemption.
Dialogu. The Fathers Atonement or Reconciliation is the top-mercy of all mercies that makes poor ſinners happy.
Anſw. The great act of mercy is the gift of Jeſus Chriſt to be our Head and Saviour. He is the Gift of God,foreign. Joh. 4.10. How ſhall he not with him alſo freely give us all things? Rom. 8.32. No benefit following the Gift of Chriſt is to be compared with Chriſt himſelf.
Dialogu But the truth is, a ſinners Atonement must be conſidered as it is the work of all the Trinity.
1. The Father muſt be conſidered as the efficient and as the formal cauſe of a ſinners atonement.
2. The Mediatour muſt be conſidered as the only meritorious procuring cauſe of the Fathers Atonement. Rom. 5.10.
3. The holy Ghoſt muſt be conſidered as the principal inſtrumental cauſe of the Fathers atonement, by working in ſinners the grace of faith, by which ſinners are enabled to apprehend and receive the Fathers atonement: Or thus, The Father muſt be conſidered as the efficient cauſe, the Son as the Mediatoriall procuring cauſe, and the holy Ghoſt as the principall inſtrumentall cauſe of all bleſſings, that poor believing ſinners do enjoy, Eph. 1.3.
Anſw. The will of God which is an immanent act is the efficient cauſe, but a created effectuall tranſient motion of the Spirit, the formall cauſe of the working a ſinners Atonement: By that God from Eternity willeth the infallible being of atonement; By this God in time worketh atonement according to his will.
The Univerſall efficient cauſe of all things is uncreated; but created acts of God whether permanent or tranſient, done in time, or aeviternity, are the formall cauſes of things, i. e. of giving to them their actuall being: All the external eſſential works of God, i. e. all his works concerning the creature, viz, whatſoever being or thing is beſides God, are wrought jointly, immediatly, equally, and formally (as was ſaid before) by all the three perſons, becauſe eſſentiall works univerſally, both internall and externall proceed from the eſſence it ſelf, ſubſiſting in the three Perſons, Father, Son, and holy Ghoſt; not from the manner of the eſſence, i. e. the perſons as perſons.
The order and manner of the working of the three Perſons upon the creature is anſwerable to the manner of their ſubſiſtence in the divine nature. The Father worketh of himſelf, the Son worketh from the-Father, Joh. 5.19, 30. and 8.28. The holy Ghoſt worketh from the Father and the Son, Joh. 16.13. hence though all the works of God concerning the creature, are wrought jointly by all the three perſons; yet is the work principally aſcribed to that perſon whoſe manner of ſubſiſtence doth moſt eminently appear therein. Beginning works, as creation, are aſcribed principally to the firſt perſon; the carrying works on to perfection as redemption, to the ſecond perſon; the perfecting of them, as the application of redemption (under which laſt work the grace of juſtifying faith is contained) unto the third perſon.
To make the firſt perſon an efficient, and the third perſon an inſtrumentall cauſe in the working of reconciliation or faith, were by conſequence to affirm ſome inferiority of the third perſon in reſpect of the fi…ſt, conſequently an inequality between the perſons, which were to inferre an inequality in God, becauſe every perſon is God, which (leaving the conſideration of more dangerous inferences to the intelligent Reader) is inconſiſting with the perfection of God, ſo unſafe is it to ſpeak unadviſedly in theſe myſteries.
The ſecond perſon in the Trinity is to be conſidered as in himſelf, ſo he is only God and not man; or as ſubſiſting in perſonall Union with the manhood, ſo he is God-man.
The ſecond Perſon in the Trinity conſidered in himſelf works together with the Father, and the holy Ghoſt jointly and equally in all eſſentiall works, conſequently as concerning faith, atonement, &c. as we have already ſeen.
The Mediatorly obedience of Chriſt, i. e. of God-man conſiſting of the divine and humane nature in one perſon, called by the Father unto that ſervice, is the procuring and only meritorious cauſe of the Fathers atonement, and all other ſpirituall bleſſings that beleeving ſinners do enjoy.
Dialogu. To conclude, If thou haſt gotten any ſpirituall bleſſing by any thing that I have ſaid in this Treatiſe, Let God have all the glory.
Anſw. To conclude,Heroſis in capite Pol. Syn. l. 7. c. 22. Vide Par. 1. Cor. 1.11. and 11.19. Ameſ. Caſ. Con. l. 4. c. 4 Val. tom. 3. diſ. 1. q. 11. punct. 1, 2, 3. Taking hereſie for a fundamentall errour, that is, ſuch as whoſoever liveth and dieth in, cannot be ſaved,
The Dialogue containeth three Hereſies.
The firſt denying the imputation of the ſin of the Elect unto Chriſt, and his ſuffering the puniſhment due thereunto; contrary to 2 Cor. 5.21. Gal. 3.13. Iſa. 53.5, 6. and
Other Arguments in the Anſwer proving the Affirmative:
Thereby leaving the Elect to periſh in their ſinne, 1 Cor. 15.17, 18.
This Hereſie is maintained in the firſt part.
The ſecond, denying that Chriſt as God-man Mediatour obeyed the Law, and therewith that he obeyed it for us as our ſurety, contrary to Galat. 4.4, 5. Matth. 5, 17, 18. Heb. 10.7. compared with Pſa. 48.7, 8. Rom. 3.31. and
Other arguments in the Anſwer proving the Affirmative:
Thereby rendring Chriſt both an unfaithfull, and an inſufficient Saviour, and ſpoiling the elect of ſalvation.
This Hereſie is maintained in the former Section of the ſecond part.
The third, 1. Denying the Imputation of Chriſts obedience unto juſtification; Contrary to Rom. 4. Rom. 5.19. Phil. 3.19. and the arguments in the anſwer proving the affirmative. Thereby leaving all that be ungodly under an impoſſibility of being juſtified.
2. Deſtroying the very being of a ſinners righteouſneſſe, by taking away the obedience of Chriſt unto the Law, and imputation, which are the matter and form, that is, the eſſentiall cauſes of juſtification.
3. Placing a ſinners righteouſneſſe in a fictitious Atonement or pardon of ſin, ſuch as in effect manifeſtly doth not only deny it ſelf to be the effect of, but denieth, yea, and defieth the very being of the Mediatorly obedience of Chriſt to the Law for us.
This Hereſie is maintained in the ſecond Section of the ſecond part.
The firſt holdeth us in all our ſin, and continueth the full wrath of God abiding upon us.
The ſecond takes away our Saviour.
The third takes away our righteouſneſſe and our juſtification.
What need the Enemy of Jeſus, grace, and ſouls adde more?
This threefold cord of Hereticall doctrine ſo directly and deeply deſtructive to the truth of the Goſpel, and ſalvation of man, We (deſiring after Chriſts example to diſtinguiſh where there is cauſe between Peter and Satan, reſerving all charitable and compaſſionate thoughts according to rule, touching the compiler thereof, who (we hope) did it ignorantly, do principally impute to him, who is not only a lyar but alſo a murtherer from the beginning.
Now the good Spirit of Grace that great Defender and Teacher of the Truth as it is in Jeſus, who in his rich mercy cauſeth all then whom he loveth to beleeve the truth that they may be ſaved, and in his righteous judgement giveth up ſuch who receive not the truth in the love of it, to beleeve a lie that they may be damned,
Grant that truth may look down from heaven in this hour and power of the ſpirit of errour ſo perilouſly prevailing to deceive if it were poſſible the very elect;
Preſerve the Reader from every falſe way, and leade him into all truth; Magnifie his compaſſion in the pardon and recovery of the Authour, a perſon in many reſpects to be very much tendred of us; in ſo ſaving of him (though as by fire) as that his riſing again may be much more advantageous to the truth, comfortable to the people of God, and honourable to himſelf, then his fall hath been ſcandalous, grieving or diſhonourable:
And laſtly, Inſpire us all with a diſcerning and conſcientious ſpirit, as concerning the myſtery of piety working in the way of truth, and the myſtery of iniquity working in the way of lying; ſo as that in theſe evil daies wherein errours and hereſies muſt be, we may manifeſt our ſelves approved, and to be acted vigorouſly and efficaciouſly by the ſpirit of him who ſealed that good confeſſion before Pontius Pilate, ſaying, To this end was I born, and for this cauſe came I into the world that I ſhould bear witneſſe to the truth.
Chriſtian Reader, if (as ſometimes through grace it was with Auguſtine concerning the Hereſie of Pelagius) by occaſion of this Dialogue and other perilous Treatiſes, with which this hour of temptation abounds, threatning (it it were poſſible) to deceive the very elect; thou haſt been ſtirred up more to ſearch into, and hate the unſound tenets contained therein, and more to ſearch into and love, the ſound doctrines contrary thereunto; Remember to glorifie that God which brings Light out of Darkneſſe by his good Spirit, leading all thoſe whoſe Names are written in the Book of Life of the Lamb, into all truth, teaching them to abhorre the wine of deadly errours, notwithſtanding they are preſented in a golden cup; and to diſcern Satan though transformed into an Angel of Light;
Glory be to God in Jeſus Christ.
FINIS.
Iſa. 45.21.
foreign
And there is none elſe beſide me, a juſt God and a Saviour, there is none beſide me,
Rom. 3.26.
foreign
To declare I ſay, at this time his righteouſneſſe, that he might be juſt and the juſtifier of him that beleeveth in Jeſus.
Diſcant hi igitur quid peccatum Mereatur, quaeque ad illud expiandum ſatisfactio neceſſaria ſit: Ne fortè de ijs dicendum ſit quod Irenaeus.
Iren. adv. haer. l. 3. c. 21.
Debitum Chriſti dum negant, ſatisfactionem illius integram dum credere renuunt: debitores ipſi manent, antidotum vitae non accipientes.
Parker De Deſcenſu l. 3. n. 52.