Of the Death of Christ, Discourse · Chapter 5
CAP. V.
The Second Head about JƲSTIFICATION before Believing.
THE next thing I am called into Queſtion about, is Concerning actual, and abſolute Juſtification before Believing: this Mr Baxter ſpeaks to page 146, and ſo forwards: and Firſt Anſwers the Arguments of Maccovius for ſuch Juſtification, and then page 151 Applyes himſelf to remove ſuch further Arguments, and places of Scripture, as are by me Produced for the Confirmation of that Aſſertion.
Here perhaps I could have deſired a little more Candor. To have an Opinionion faſtened on me, which I never once received, nor intimated the leaſt Thought of, in that whole Treatiſe, or any other of Mine; and then my Arguments Anſwered as to ſuch an end, and purpoſe, as I not once intended to promote by them, is a little to harſh Dealing. It is a facile thing, to Render any mans Reaſonings exceedingly weak, and rediculous, if we may impoſe upon them ſuch, and ſuch things to be proved by them, which their Author never once intended.
For Partional Juſtification, Evangelical Juſtification, whereby a Sinner is compleatly Juſtified, that it ſhould preceed Believing, I have not only not Aſſerted, but Poſitively Denyed, and diſproved by many Arguments: To be now traduced as a Patron of that Opinion, and my Reaſons for it, Publickly Anſwered, ſeems to me ſomething Uncouth: However I am Reſolved not to interpoſe in other mens Diſputes, and Differencies, yet leſt I ſhould be again, and further miſtaken in this, I ſhall briefly give in my Thoughts to the whole Difficulty: after I have diſcovered, and diſcuſſed the Ground, and Occaſion of this miſtake.
In an Anſwer to an Argument of Grotius about the Satisfaction of Chriſt, denying that by it we are ipſo facto delivered from the Penalty due to Sin: I Affirmed that by his Death, Chriſt did actually, or ipſo facto deliver us from the Curſe, by being made a Curſe for us; and this is that, which gave occaſion, to that Imputation before mentioned.
To cleer my mind in this, I muſt deſire the Reader to conſider, That my Anſwer is but a Denial of Grotius his Aſſertions: In what kind, and reſpect Grotius doth there deny that we are ipſo facto delivered by the Satisfaction of Chriſt, in that ſenſe, and that only, do I affirm that we are ſo: otherwiſe there were no Contradictions between his Aſſertion, and mine, not ſpeaking ad idem, and eodem reſpectu.
The truth is, Grotius doth not in that place whence this Argument is taken, fully, or cleerly manifeſt, what he intends by a deliverance which is not actual, or ipſo facto: and therefore I made bold to Interpret his Mind, by the Analogie of that Opinion wherewith he was throughly infected about the Death of Chriſt. According to that, Chriſt delivering us by his Satisfaction, not actually, nor ipſo facto, is ſo to make Satisfaction for us, as that we ſhal have no Benefit by his Death, but upon the performance of a Condition, which himſelf by that Death of his, did not abſolutely procure. This was that which I oppoſed and therefore affirmed, That Chriſt by his Death did actually, or ipſo facto, deliver us.
Let the Reader then here Obſerve:
1 That our Deliverance is to be referred to the Death of Chriſt, according to its own Cauſality; that is, as a Cauſe Meritorious: Now ſuch Cauſes do actually, and ipſo facto produce all thoſe Effects, which immediatly ſlow from them; not in an immediation of Time, but Cauſality. Look then what Effects do follow, or what things ſoever are procured by them, without the interpoſition of any other Cauſe in the ſame kind, they are ſaid to be procured by them actually, or ipſo facto.
2 That I have abundantly proved in the Treatiſe mentioned, That if the Fruits of the Death of Chriſt, be to be communicated unto us upon Condition, and that Condition to be among thoſe Fruits, and be it ſelf to be abſolutely communicated upon no Condition, then all the Fruits of the Death of Chriſt, are as abſolutely procured for them, for whom he Died, as if no Condition had been preſcribed; for theſe things come all to one.
3 I have proved in the ſame Place, That Faith, which is this Condition, is it ſelf procured by the Death of Chriſt, for them for whom he Died, to be freely beſtowed on them, without the preſcription of any ſuch Condition as on whoſe fulfilling, the Collation of it ſhould depend.
Theſe things being conſidered (as I hoped they would have been by every one, that ſhould undertake to Cenſure any thing, as to this Buſineſs in that Treatiſe (they being there all handled at large) it is apparent what I intended by this actual Deliverance: viz. That the Lord Jeſus by the Satisfaction & Merit of his Death, & Obligation made for all, & only his Elect, hath actually, & abſolutly purchaſed, & procured for them all Spiritual Bleſſings of Grace, & Glory to be made out unto them, and beſtowed upon them in Gods way, and Time, without dependance on any CONDITION to be by them performed, not abſolutly procured for them thereby: whereby they became to have a Right unto the GOOD THINGS by him Purchaſed, to be in due time Poſſeſſed according to Gods Way, Method, and Appointment.
From a faithful adherence unto this Perſwaſion, I ſee nothing as yet of the leaſt Efficacy, or force to diſſwade me: and am bold to tell theſe concerned therein, That their Conditional Satisfaction, or their ſuſpending the Fruits of the Death of Chriſt upon Conditions, as though the Lord ſhould give him to die for us upon Condition of ſuch, and ſuch things, is a vain Figment, contrary to the Scriptures, inconſiſtent in it ſelf, and deſtructive of the true value, and vertue of the Death of Chriſt; which by the Lords Aſſiſtance, I ſhall be ready at any time to Demonſtrate.
My Intention in the place Excepted againſt being cleered, I ſhall now tender my Thoughts to theſe Two things: 1 The diſtinct Conſideration of the Acts of the Will of God, before, and after the Satisfaction of Chriſt: as alſo before, and after our Believing towards us, as unto Juſtification. 2 The diſtinct Eſtate of the Sinner upon that Conſideration: with what is the Right to the Fruits of the Death of Chriſt which the Elect of God have before Believing.