Cap. 7 Quartum Rat. 6: offering matches intercession—John 17 / Suarez / Vázquez
Ratio 6. Sixth, keep the proportion between Christ’s offering for people and his prayer or intercession for them. From John 17, and from his named prayer for Peter that Peter’s faith not fail, it is plain that Christ interceded with the Father for the elect to keep a firm, unconquered faith to the end and obtain salvation efficaciously. Anyone who denies that the gift of perseverance was won for special persons by Christ’s special prayer would credit free choice with the greatest of all spiritual benefits. That granted, I add: just as Christ specially prayed for special benefits for the elect, so he specially offered himself to merit those same benefits. On this special prayer and offering Suarez says (On 3, disp. 41, p. 635): as Christ prayed in different ways for people, so he merited in different ways; though he is universal Redeemer of all and a sufficient cause of salvation, in a special mode he is the efficacious cause of salvation for those he makes obedient. So the prayer by which he specially and efficaciously prayed for the elect rests on the offering by which he specially and efficaciously offered himself for them. See the force: whatever Christ obtains for particular persons by special intercession, he merited for them with the Father by an offering specially pertaining to them. By intercession he obtains for the elect faith, perseverance, and salvation itself; therefore, to procure those goods for them infallibly, he specially offered himself for them. Vázquez does not doubt (On 1, q. 23, art. 5, disp. 94, ch. 3) that by peculiar prayer and will Christ applied his merits to those who were predestinate and elect.
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Rat. 6. Sexto, argumentari possumus ab illa proportione quae est retinenda inter oblationem Christi pro hominibus, & orationem sive intercessionem pro eisdem. Orasse Christum sive intercessisse apud Patrem suum pro electis, ut fidem firmam & invictam usque ad extremum retinerent, & salutem efficaciter obtinerent, ex Ioann. xvii. atque ex oratione nominatim pro Petro facta, ne fides ejus deficeret, promptum est colligere. Et sane qui eximium illud donum perseverantiae specialibus personis speciali oratione Christi impetratum negaverit, is beneficium omnium beneficiorum spiritualium longe maximum libero arbitrio acceptum referret. Jam hoc posito, illud addam, Sicuti Christus specialiter oravit pro specialibus beneficiis in electos conferendis, ita specialiter seipsum obtulit pro eisdem beneficiis promerendis. De hac oratione & oblatione speciali Suarez ait, In 3. disp. 41. p. 635. Sicut Christus diversimode pro hominibus oravit, ita diversimode meruit: propter quod, licet omnium sit universalis Redemptor, & sufficiens causa salutis, speciali tamen modo est causa efficax salutis eorum quos sibi facit obedientes. Oratio igitur, qua Christus specialiter & efficaciter oravit pro electis, fundamentum habuit in oblatione, qua pro eisdem specialiter & efficaciter sese obtulit. Videtis vim argumenti; Quicquid Christus impetrat singularibus personis per specialem intercessionem, id promeruit iisdem apud Patrem per oblationem suiipsius ad eos specialiter pertinentem: Sed per intercessionem impetrat electis fidem, perseverantiam, ipsam denique salutem: Ergo, ut haec bona illis infallibiliter procuraret, specialiter sese pro iis obtulit. Non dubitat, inquit Vasquez, Christum peculiari oratione & voluntate merita sua illis applicasse qui praedestinati & electi fuerunt, In 1. qu. 23. art. 5. disp. 94. cap. 3.