The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, Book 3 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Being a continuance of Arguments from the nature and description of the thing in hand: And first of Redemption.
THat Doctrine which will not by any meanes suit with, nor be made conformable to the thing signified by it, and the expression § I literall and deductive, whereby in Scripture it is held out unto us, but implyes evident contradictions unto them, cannot possibly be found and sincere, as is the milke of the Word: but now such is this perswasion of universall Redemption, it can never be suited nor fitted to the thing it self or redemption, nor to those expressions wherby in the Scripture it is held out unto us, universall Redemption, and yet many to dye in captivity, is a contradiction irreconcileable in it selfe. To manifest this, let us consider some of the chiefest words, and phrases, whereby the matter concerning which we treat, is delivered in the Scripture. Such as are Redemption, Reconciliation, Satisfuction, Merit, Dying for us bearing our sinnes, Suretiship, his being God, a common Person, a Jesus, saving to the utmost, a Sacrifice putting away finne, and the like; to which we may adde the importance of some prepositions, and other words used in the Originall about this business, and doubt not but we shall easily finde that the generall ransome, or rather universall Redemption, will hardly suit to any of them, but it is too long for the bed, and must be crapped at head or heeles.
Begin we with the word Redemption it selfe, which we will consider, § II name and thing. Redemption, which in the Scripture is foreign sometimes, but most frequently foreign, is, the delivery of any one from captivity and misery by the intervention foreign of a price or ransom: that this ransom or price of our deliverance was the bloud of Christ, is evident, he cals it foreign Matth. 20. 28. and foreign, 1 Tim. 2. 6. That is, the price of such a Redemption, that which was was received as a valuable consideration for our dismission. Now that which is aimed at, in the paiment of this price, is the deliverance of those, from the evill wherewith they were oppressed, for whom the price is paid; it being in this spirituall redemption, as it is in corporall and civill, onelyonly with the alteration of some circumstances, as the nature of the thing inforceth. This the holy spirit manifesteth, by comparing the bloud of Christ in this worke of Redemption with silver and gold, and such other things as are the intervening ransome in civill Redemption, 1 Pet. 1. 18. The evill wherewith wee were oppressed, was the punishment which wee had deserved; that is, the satisfaction required when the debt is sin: which also we are by the paiment of this price delivered from. So—Gal. 3. 13. For we are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, Rom. 3. 24. In him we have redemption through his bloud even the forgivenesse of sinnes, Eph. 1. 7. Col. 1. 14. Free justification from the guilt and pardon of sinne, in the deliverance from the punishment due unto it, is the effect of the redemption procured by the payment of the price we before mentioned. As if a man should have his friend in bondage, and he should goe and lay out his estate, to pay the price of his freedome that is set upon his head, by him that detaines him, and so set him at Liberty: onelyonly, as was before intimated, this spirituall redemption hath some supereminent things in it, that are not to be found in other deliverances; as,
First, He that receives the ransome doth also give it, Christ is a propitiation to appease and attone the Lord; but the Lord himselfe § III set him forth so to bee, Rom. 3. 24, 25. Where hee himselfe is often said to redeeme us; his love is the cause of the price in respect of its procurement, and his justice accepts of the price in respect of its merit; for Christ came downe from heaven to doe the will of him that sent him, John 6. 38. Heb. 10. 9, 10. it is otherwise in the redemption amongst men, where hee that receives the ransome, hath no hand in the providing of it.
Secondly, the captive or prisoner, is not so much freed from his power, who detaines him, as brought into his favour: when a captive amongst men, is redeemed by the payment of a ransome, hee is instantly to bee set free from the power and authority of him that did detaine him: but in this spirituall redemption, upon the paiment of the ransome for us, which is the bloud of Jesus, wee are not removed from God, but are brought nigh unto him. Ephe. 2. 13. not delivered from his power, but restored to his favour: our misery being a punishment by the way of banishment, as well as thraldome.
Thirdly, that as the Judge was to be satisfied, so the Jaylor was to be conquered. God the Judge, giving him leave to fight for his dominion, which was wrongfully usurped, though that whereby he had it, was by the Lord justly inflicted, and his thraldome by us rightly deserved, Heb. 2. 14. Col. 2. and he lost his power, as strong as he was, for striving to graspe more than he could hold. For the foundation of his Kingdome being sinne, assaulting Christ who did no sinne, he lost his power over them that Christ came to redeem, having no part in him, so was the strong man bound, and his house spoyled.
In these and some other few circumstances is our spirituall redemption § IV diversified from civill, but for the maine, it answers the word in the propriety thereof, according to the use that it hath amongst men: now there is a two-fold way, whereby this is in the Scripture expressed: for sometimes our Saviour is said, to dye for our Redemption, and sometimes for the redemption of our transgressions, both tending to the same purpose; yea both expressions as I conceive, signifie the same thing. Of the latter you have an example, Hebrewes 9. 15. Hee dyed foreign. Which say some is a Metanomy, Transgressions being put for Transgressors: others, that it is a proper expression for the paying of a price, whereby wee may bee delivered from the evill of our transgressions: the other expression you have Ephes. 1, 7. and in divers other places, where the words foreign & foreign do concur; as also Matth. 20. 28. and Mark 10. 45. Now these words especially that of foreign 1 Tim. 2. 6. do alwayes denote by the, not to be wrested, genuine signification of them, the payment of a price, or an equall compensation in lieu of some thing to be done, or grant made for him to whom that price is paid. Having given these few Notions concerning Redemption in generall, let us now see how applicable it is unto generall redemption.
Redemption is the freeing of a man from misery by the intervention of a ransome, as appeareth: now when a ransome is paid for the liberty of a prisoner, is it not all the justice in the world, that he should have, and enjoy the liberty so purchased for him by a valuable consideration? If I should pay a thousand pounds for a mans deliverance from bondage to him that detaines him, who hath power to set him free, and is contented with the price I give; were it not injurious to me, and the poore Prisoner, that his deliverance be not accomplished? can it possibly bee conceived, that there should bee a redemption of men, and those men not redeemed? that a price should be paid, and the purchase not consummated? yet all this must bee made true, and innumerable other absurdities, if universall Redemption bee asserted. A price is paid for all, yet few delivered; the redemption of all consummated, yet few of them redeemed. The Judge satisfied, the Jaylor conquered, and yet the prisoner inthralled: doubtlesse universall, and Redemption, where the greatest part of men perish, are as irreconcileable as Roman and Catholik; if there be an universal Redemption of all, then all men are redeemed; if they are redeemed, then are they delivered from all misery vertually or actually whereunto they were inthralled, & that by the intervention of a ransome; why then are not all saved? in a word, the redemption wrought by Christ, being the full deliverance of the persons redeemed from all misery, wherein they were enwrapped, by the price of his bloud, it cannot possibly be conceived to bee universall, unlesse all be saved: so that the opinion of the universalists, is unsutable to Redemption.