Cap. 7 Arg. 4 Ratio 3: Spirit’s gifts prove special intent—Heb 7:25 Savior of certain ones
Whatever spiritual, saving good Christ’s Spirit works in any people, Christ’s poured-out blood merited for those same people. But Christ’s Spirit produces in certain persons repentance and faith, and through faith and repentance an infallible application of his death. Therefore he merited these special goods for those same people; therefore, sacrificing himself on the cross’s altar, he meant to merit them. It is not right to suppose by chance that Christ procured greater spiritual benefits for these than for those. What will the adversaries say? That Christ’s Spirit gives people benefits Christ never merited for them? They will not dare so to trample Christ’s merit. That faith itself, the will, and the act of fruitful application are not special gifts of the Holy Spirit? They will blush at so crass a Pelagianism. Let them confess with us: just as through Christ’s death special goods were procured for the elect, so in the will of the dying Christ, and of the Father accepting that death, there was an efficacious intention to procure and confer those goods. And that is the singular privilege in Christ’s death we claim for the elect alone, because the fact shows God destined them alone to be saved efficaciously by his Son’s death. Hence Hebrews 7:25 establishes the office of Savior of certain ones—that is, of the elect—both by merit and by efficacy.
Latin
Quicquid boni spiritualis & salutiferi Christi Spiritus efficit in ullis hominibus, id Christi sanguis effusus promeruit iisdem hominibus: At Christi Spiritus producit in certis quibusdam personis poenitentiam & fidem, & mediante fide ac poenitentia infallibilem applicationem mortis suae: Ergo iisdem hominibus haec specialia bona promeruit: Ergo seipsum in ara crucis sacrificans promereri intendit. Neque enim temere aut casu fas est putare, Christum majora spiritualia beneficia hisce quam illis procurasse. Quid hic respondebunt adversarii? Nunquid dicent Christi Spiritum impertire beneficia hominibus, quae Christus illis minime promeruit? Non audebunt Christi meritum ita conculcare; Nunquid respondebunt, Ipsam fidem, & voluntatem, & actum fructuosae applicationis non esse Dona specialia Spiritus sancti? Pudebit tam crassi Pelagianismi. Fateantur ergo nobiscum, sicut per Christi mortem specialia bona sunt procurata electis, ita in voluntate Christi morientis, Deique Patris, hanc mortem acceptantis, fuisse efficacem intentionem de iisdem procurandis & conferendis. Atque hoc est illud singulare privilegium in morte Christi, quod solis electis vindicamus, quia ex facto apparet, Deum eos solos morte Filii sui efficaciter servandos destinasse. Unde Heb. vii. 25. statuitur Servator quorundam, id est, electorum, munus, nempe tam merito, quam efficacia.