The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, Testimonies
Some few Testimonies of the Ancients.
THe confession of the holy Church of Smyrna, a little after the commendation given it by the Holy Ghost, Revel. 2. upon the martyrdome of Policarpus.
foreign▪ Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. 4 cap. 15.
Neither can we ever forsake Christ, him who suffered for the salvation of the world, of them that are saved nor worship any other.
The witnesse of holy Ignatius, as hee was carrying to Rome from Antioch, to bee cast to Beasts for the testimony of Jesus. Epist. ad Phil.
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This is the way leading to the Father, this the Rocks, the Folds,—the Key; he is the Shepheard, the Sacpifice, the doore of Knowledge, by which entred Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, moses, and the whole company of Prophebs, and the Pillars of the World the Apostles, and the spouse of Christ, for which instead of a Dowry te powred out his owne bloud, that he might redeem her.
Surely Jesus Christ gives not a Dowry for any, but his owne Spouse.
Clemens whose name was in the Booke of life, Phil. 4. 3. with the whole Church at Rome in his dayes in the Epist. to the Church of Corinth.
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For the love which hee had unto us, he gave his bloud for us, according to his purpose, and his flesh for our flesh, and his life for our lives.
Where you have assigned 1, the cause of Christs death, his love to us; 2, the object of it, us or believers; 3, the manner how he redeemed us, even by commutation.
This triple Testimony is taken from the very prime of undoubted Antiquity.
Cyprian Epist. 63. to Caecilius, an holy, learned, and famous Martyr. Ann. 250.
Nos omnes portabat Christus, qui & peccata nostra portabat.
He bare all us, who bare our sinnes. (that is) Hee sustained their persons on the Crosse for whom he dyed.
The same to Demetrian.
Hanc gratiam Christus impertit subigendo mortem tropheo crucis, redimendo credentem prelio sanguinis sui.
This grace hath Christ communicated, subduing death in the trophy of his Crosse, redeeming believers with the price of his bloud,
The same, or some other ancient and pious writer of the Cardinall works of Christ, Serm. 7. secund. Rivet. Cat. Sac. in Cyp. Scultel. Medel. pa. Erasm. praefat. ad lib.
The same Author also in expresse termes mentions the sufficiency of the Ransome paid by Christ, arising from the dignity of his person.
Tantae dignitatis illa una redemptionis nostri fuit oblatio; ut una ad tollenda mundi peccatum sufficeret.
Of so great dignity was the oblation of our Redeemer, that it alone was sufficient to take away the sinnes of the world.
And Cyrill of Hierusalem. Catacles. 13.
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Wonder not if the whole world be redeemed; for he was not a meere man, but the onelyonly begotten Sonne of God that dyed: If then through the eating of the tree (forbidden) they were cast cast out of Paradise, certainely now by the Tree (or Crosse) of Jesus shall believers more easily enter into Paradise.
So also doth another of them make it manifest in what sense they use the word all.
Athanasius of the Incarnation of the Word of God.
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He is the life of all, and as a sheep hee delivered his body a price for the soules of all, that they might be saved.
All in both places can be none but the Elect: as,
Ambrose de vocal. Gen. lib 1. cap. 3. Or rather Prosper. lib. 1. cap. 9. Edit. Olivar.
Si non credis, non descendit tibi Christus non tibi passus est. Ambr. de fide ad Gratianum.
Habet populus Dei plenitudinem suam in electis enim & praescitis, atque ab omnium generalitate discretis, specialis quaedam censetur universitas, ut de toto mundo, totus mundus liberatus, & de omnibus hominibus, omnes homines videantur assumpti.
The people of God hath its owne fulnesse—in the elect and foreknown, distinguished from the generality of all, there is accounted a certaine speciall universality: so that the whole world, seems to be delivered from the whole world, and all men to be taken out of all men.
In which place he proceedeth at large to declare the reasons, why in this businesse all, and the world, are so often used for some of all sorts.
These that follow wrote after the rising of the Pelagian heresie, which gave occasion to more diligence of search and vvarinesse of expression than had formerlie been used by some.
Augustines de Co. & grat. cap. 11.
Per hunc mediatorem Deus ostendit eos, quos ejus sanguine redemit facere se ex malis in aeternum bonos.
By him the Mediator, the Lord declareth himselfe to make those whom he hath redeemed with his bloud, of evill, good to eternity.
Vult possidere Christus quod emit, tanti emit ut possideat.
Christ will possesse what he bought, hee bought it with such a price that he might possesse it.
Idem Serm. 44. de verbis Apost.
Qui nos tanto pretio emit non vult perire quos emit.
He that bought us with such a price, will have none perish whom hee he hath bought.
Idem Tracta. 87. in Johan.
Ecclesiā plerumque etiam ipsam mundi nomine appellat: sicut est illud, Deus erat in Christo mundum reconcilians sibi: itemque illud, non venit filius hominis ut judicet mundum, sed ut salvetur mundus per ipsum, & in Epistola sua Johannes ait, advocatum habemus ad patrem Jesum Christum justum, & ipse propitiator est peccatorum nostrorum, non tantū nostrorum sed etiam totius mundi: totus ergo mundus est Ecclesia, & totus mundus odit Ecclesiam. Mundus igitur odit mundum: inimicus reconciliatum, damnatus salvatum, inquinatus mundatum: sed iste mundus, quem Deus in Christo reconciliat fibi, & qui per Christum salvatur, de mundo electus est inimico damnato contaminato.
He often calleth the Church it selfe the name of the world, as in that, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe: and that the Sonne of man came not to condemne the world, but that the world through him might be saved. And John in his Epist. saith, we have an advocate, &c. for the sinnes of the whole world: the whole world therefore is the Church, the whole world hateth the Church: the world then hateth the world. That which is at enmity, the reconciled; the condemned, the saved; the polluted, the cleansed world: and that world which God in Christ reconcileth to himselfe, and which is saved by Christ, is chosen out of the opposite condemned defiled world.
Much more to this purpose might be easily cited out of Augustine, but his judgement in these things is knowne to all.
Prosperus Respon. ad Capit. Gal. cap. 9.
Non est crucifixus in Christo, qui non est membrum corpori Christi: cum itaque dicatur salvator pro totius mundi redempti one crucifixus, propter veram humanae naturae susceptionem, potest tamen dici pro his tantum crucifixus quibus mors ipsius pro fuit. Diversa ab istis sors eorum est, qui inter illos censentur de quibus dicitur, mundus enim non cognovit.
He is not crucified with Christ, who is not a member of the body of Christ. As—so may hee bee said to be crucified onelyonly for them unto whom his death was profitable. Divers from these is their lot, who are reckoned amongst them of whom it is said, the world knew him not.
Idem Resp. Object. Vincent. Res. 1.
Redemptionis proprietas, haud dubie penes illos est, de quibus princeps mundi missus est foras: mors Christi non itaimpensa est humano generi, ut ad redemptionem ejus, etiam qui regenerandi non erant pertinerent.
Doubtlesse the propriety of Redemption is theirs from whom the Prince of this world is cast out. The death of Christ is not so laid out for humane kinde, that they also should belong unto his Redemption, who were not to be regenerated.
Idem de ingrat. cap. 9.
Sed tamen haec aliqua sivis ratione tueri
Et credi tam stulta cupis; jam pande quid haec fit;
Quod bonus omnipotensque Deus, non omnia subdit
Corda sibi, pariterque omnes jubet esse fideles?
Nam si nemo usquam est quem non velit esse redemptum,
Haud dubie impletur quicquid vult summa potestas.
Non omnes autem salvantur—
If there be none whom God would not have Redeemed, why are not all saved?
Concil. Valen. Can. 4.
Precium mortis Christi, datum est pro illis tantum quibus Dominus ipse dixit, sicut Moses exaltavit serpentem in deserto, ita exaltari oportet, filius hominis, ut omnis qui credit in ipso non pereat, sed habeat vitam eternam.
The price of the death of Christ, is given for them alone, of whom the Lord himselfe said, as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wildernesse, so must the Sonne of man bee lifted up, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish.