The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, Book 3 · Chapter 10
CHAP X.
Of the merit of Christ: with arguments from thence.
A fourth thing ascribed to the death of Christ, is merit, or that worth and value of his death, whereby he purchased and § I procured unto us and for us, all those good things, which we find in the Scripture for his death to be bestowed upon us: of this, much I shall not speake, having considered the thing it selfe under the notion of impetration already: onelyonly I shall adde some few observations proper to that particular of the controversie which we have in hand. The word merit, is not at all to be found in the new Testament, in no translation out of the originall that I have seene: The vulgar latine once reads promeretur Heb. 13. 16. and the Rhemists to preserve the sound, have rendred it it promerited. But these words in both languages are uncouth and barbarous, besides that they no way answer foreign, the word in the originall, which gives no colour to merit name or thing, nay, I suppose it will proove a difficult thing to finde out any one word in either of the languages, wherin the holy Scripture was written, that doth, properly and immediately in its first native importance, signifie merit; so that about the name we shall not trouble our selves; if the thing it self intended thereby be made apparent, which it is both in the old and new Testament. As Isay 53. 5 The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed, the procurement of our peace and healing was the merit of his chastisement and stripes: so Heb. 9. 12. foreign obtaining by his blood eternall redemption, is as much as we intend to signifie by the merit of Christ. The word which comes neerest it in signification we have Acts 20. 28. foreign, purchased with his own blood; purchase and impetration, merit and acquisition being in this businesse termes equivalent: which latter word is used in diverse other places as 1 Thes. 5. 9. Ephes. 1. 14. 1. Pet. 2. 9. Now, that, which by this name we understand, is, the performance of such an action as whereby the thing aimed at by the agent is due unto him according to the equity and equality required in justice, as, to him that worketh, the reward is reckoned not of grace, but of debt. Rom. 4. 4. That there is such a merit attending the death of Christ, is apparent from what was said before, neither is the weight of any operous prooving if it imposed on us by our adversaries seeming to acknowledge it no lesse themselves. So that we may take it for graunted (untill our adversaries close with the Socinians in this also.) Christ then by his death, did merit and purchase for all those, for whom he died, all those things, which in the Scripture are assigned to be the fruits and effects of his death: These are the things purchased and merited by his bloodshedding and death; which may be referred unto two heads, first such as are privative, as 1. deliverance from the hands of our enemies Luke 1. 74. From the wrath to come. 1. Thes. 1. vlt. Secondly the destruction and abolition of death in his power Heb. 2. 14. Thirdly of the works of the devil 1. John 3. 8. Fourthly deliverance from the curse of the law Gal. 3. 13. Fiftly from our vain conversation 1. Pet. 1. 18. Sixtly from the present evil world. Gal. 1. 4. Seventhly from the earth and from among men Rev. 14. 3. 4. Eightly purging of our sins Heb. 1. 3. Secondly, positiveas first, reconciliation with God Rom 5. 10. Ephes 2. 16. Col. 2. 20. Secondly appeasing or attoning of God by propitiation Rom. 5. 25. 1 John 2. 2. Thirdly peace making Ephes. 2. 14. Fourthly Salvation Math. 1. 21. All these hath our Saviour by his death merited and purchased for all them for whom he died; that is, so procured them of his Father, that they ought in respect of that merit, according to the equity of justice, to be bestowed on them for whom they were so purchased and procured: it was absolutely of free grace in God that he would send Jesus Christ to die for any, it was of free grace for whom he would send him to dye; it is of free grace, that the good things procured by his death be bestowed on any person in respect of those persons on whom they are bestowed; but considering his own appointment and constitution, that Jesus Christ by his death should merit and procure grace and glory for those for whom he died, it is of debt in respect of Christ that they be communicated to them; Now that which is thus merited, which is of debt to be bestowed, we doe not say that it may be bestowed, but it ought so to be; and it is injustice if it be not. Having said this little of the nature of merit and of the merit of Christ, the procurement of his death for them, in whose stead he died, it will quickly be apparent how unreconcileable the generall ransome is therewith. For the demonstration whereof we need no more but the proposing of this one question, viz. if Christ hath merited grace and glory for all those, for whom he died: if he died for all, how comes it to passe that these things are not communicated to, and bestowed upon all? is the defect in the merit of Christ, or in the justice of of God? how vaine is it to except that these things are not bestowed absolutely upon us, but upon condition, and therefore was so procured, seeing that the very condition it self is also merited and procured as Ephes. 1. 3. 4. Phil. 1. 29. Hath been already declared.
Fiftly, the very phrases of dying for us, bearing our sins, being our surety, and the like, whereby the death of Christ for us is expressed, will not stand with the payment of a ransome for all. To dye for another, is in Scripture to dye in that others stead that he might goe free; as Judah besought his brother Joseph to accept of him for a bondman in stead of Benjamin that he might be set at liberty Gen. 44. 33. and that to make good the engagement wherein he stood bound to his father, to be a surety for him: he that is surety for another (as Christ was for us Heb. 7. 22.) is to undergoe the danger, that the other may be delivered. So David wishing that he had dyed for his Son Absalom 2. Sam. 18. 33. intended doubtlesse a commutation with him, and a substitution of his life for his, so that he might have lived: Paul also Rom. 5. 7. intimates the same, supposing that such a thing might be found among men, that one should dye for another, no doubt alluding to the Decii, Menecaeus, Euriolus and such others whom we finde mentioned in the storyes of the heathen, who voluntarily cast themselves into death, for the deliverance of their countrey, or friends: continuing their liberty and freedome from death, who were to undergoe it, by taking it upon themselves, to whom it was not directly due: and this plainly is the meaning of that phrase, Christ dyed for us, that is in the undergoing of death there was a subrogation of his person in the room and stead of ours. Some indeed except that where the word foreign is used in this phrase as Heb. 2. 9. That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man, there onelyonly the good and profit of them for whom he died is intended, not enforcing the necessity of any commutation. But, why, this exception should prevail, I see no great reason, for the same preposition being used in the like kinde in other causes doth confessedly intimate a commutation, as Rom. 9. 3. Where Paul affirms that he could wish himself accursd from Christ foreign for his brethren, that is in their stead, that they might be united to him, so also 2. Cor. 5. 20 foreign we are Ambassadours in Christs stead so the same Apostle. 1. Cor. 1. 13. Asking, and strongly denying by way of interrogation foreign was Pauls crucified for you? plainely sheweth that the word foreign …sed about the crucifying of Christ for his church, doth argue a commutation or change, and not only designes the good of them, for whom he died: for plainely, he might himself have been crucified for the good of the church, but in the stead thereof he abhorreth the least thought of it. But concerning the word foreign which also is used, there is no doubt, nor can any exception be made, it alwayes signifieth a commutation and change whither it be applyed to things or persons 80 Luke 11 11 foreign a serpent in stead of a fish so Matth. 5. 38. foreign an eye for an eye, so Heb. 12. 16. and for persons Arc…el…s is said to raigne foreign Math. 2. 22. in stead of his Father: Now this word is used of the death of our Saviour, Math. 20. 28. The Son of man came foreign which words are repeated againe Marke. 10. 45. That is to give his life a ransome in the stead of the lives of many; so that plainely, Christ dying for us as a surety, Heb. 7. 22. and thereby and therein bearing our sinnes in his owne body, 1 Pet. 2. 24. being made a curse for us, was an undergoing of death, punishn ent, curse, wrath, not onelyonly for our good, but directly in our stead: a commutation and subrogation of his person in the roome and place of ours, being allowed, and of God accepted. This being cleared, I demand first, whither Christ dyed thus for all? that is whither he dyed in the roome and stead of all, so that his person was substituted in the roome of theirs? as, whether he dyed in the stead of Cain and Pharoah and the rest who long before his death were under the power of the second death never to bee delivered? Secondly, Whether it bee, justice that those, or any of them in whose stead Christ dyed bearing their iniquityes, should themselves also dye and bear their own sins to eternity? Thirdly, What rule of equity is their or example for it, that when the surety hath answered and made satisfaction to the utmost of what was required in the obligation, wherein he was a Surety, that they, for whom he was a Surety, should afterwards be proceeded against? Fourthly, Whether Christ hung upon the Crosse in the roome or stead of Reprobates? Fifthly, Whither he underwent all that which was due unto them, for whom he dyed? if not, how could he be said to dye in their stead? if so, why are they not all delivered? I shall adde no more but this, that, to affirme Christ to dye for all men is the readiest way to prove that he dyed for no man, in the sence christians have hitherto believed, and to hurry poore soules into the bottome of Socinian blasphemyes.