Cap. 3 Obj. 12: Redeemer ordained from special good-pleasure only, not common love of the race
Obj. 12. Christ was ordained redeemer not from philanthropy, but from that special good-pleasure by which God specially embraced his elect unto eternal life: Christ's death therefore is not a lytron applicable by God's ordination to redeeming all human beings, but destined for the elect alone.
Sol. I deny the antecedent: and I affirm that God in sending the redeemer willed to render both loves attested to the world, namely that common love of the human race which we call philanthropy, and that special and secret love which we call good-pleasure. The argument of common love is, that he willed to look so far to the human race, that is, to all and each human being, that they should have a redeemer, through whose satisfaction grasped by faith they could obtain remission of sins. This love he did not exhibit to the fallen Angels (whom nevertheless he preserves as his creatures), inasmuch as for them Christ was in no way ordained as redeemer, nor is remission of sins through the redeemer's satisfaction under any condition either announceable or applicable. From this we clearly gather that in the very constitution or ordination of the redeemer God had a certain respect of common love toward human beings, which he did not have toward Demons. Which will be plain if we weigh rightly what this very redemption is. It is therefore the payment of a just price or debt for us captives, not that by the price being counted out we are freed by the very fact, but that we are freed as soon as we should believe in the redeemer. This is that ordination of Christ's death or of the satisfactory price, which flowed from God's love common to all human beings; and accordingly under this respect, extended by us to all and each human being, it is rightly preached. And we judge that most celebrated place, (John 3:16), So God loved the world, etc., looks hither. Now as for that secret and more special love by which God embraces the elect, far be it that we deny Christ's death and merit to be a special gift in a special mode to be applied efficaciously and infallibly to these elect for redeeming and saving them from that special love. To the common love therefore with which God follows the human race, we attribute that he willed to constitute a general redeemer, through whose death and satisfaction anyone, provided he believes in him, can be absolved from his sins (Acts 13:38). But to the special good-pleasure by which he embraces the elect alone we think it should be attributed that from the death and merit of this constituted and ordained Redeemer he decreed to give to certain singular persons efficaciously and infallibly faith, remission of sins, and eternal life. And we think the Savior looked to this special intention in (John 10:15), where he says he lays down his life for his sheep, that is, for the elect he so offers himself as a victim that from his death they may not only be able to be saved if they believe, but may actually believe and be saved. We ought not therefore so urge God's special good-pleasure toward the elect that we deny that lytron of Christ ordained for reconciling and freeing all and each to God, and, provided they embrace it with true faith, to be applied; leaving meanwhile to God his hidden judgments and entire liberty in dispensing or not dispensing that special grace, by whose intervention faith is infallibly produced in human hearts, and effectual application is procured, and eternal life is infallibly obtained from the Gospel covenant.
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Obj. 12. Christus ordinatus est redemtor non ex philanthropia, sed ex eudokia speciali qua Deus electos suos specialiter complexus est ad vitam aeternam: Christi igitur mors non est lytron omnibus hominibus redimendis applicabile ex ordinatione Dei, sed solis electis destinatum. Sol. Nego antecedens: et affirmo Deum in redemtore mittendo voluisse utrumque amorem mundo testatum reddere, nempe communem illum amorem humani generis quem philanthropian vocamus, et illum specialem atque arcanum quem eudokian appellamus. Communis amoris argumentum est, quod humano generi, id est, omnibus et singulis hominibus, hactenus prospectum voluerit, ut haberent redemtorem, per cujus satisfactionem fide apprehensam remissionem peccatorum possent obtinere. Hunc amorem Angelis lapsis (quos tamen ut creaturas suas conservat) non exhibuit, utpote quibus Christus in redemtorem fuit nullatenus ordinatus, nec remissio peccatorum per redemtoris satisfactionem sub ulla conditione aut annunciabilis aut applicabilis. Hinc clare colligimus, in ipsa constitutione sive ordinatione redemtoris Deum habuisse quendam communis amoris respectum ad homines, quem non habuit ad Daemones. Quod inde patebit, si quid sit haec ipsa redemtio rite perpendamus. Est igitur solutio pretii justi sive debiti pro nobis captivis, non ut pretio numerato liberemur ipso facto, sed ut liberemur, quamprimum in redemtorem crederemus. Haec est illa ordinatio mortis Christi sive pretii satisfactorii, quae fluxit ab amore Dei omnibus hominibus communi; ac proinde sub hac ratione a nobis ad omnes et singulos homines extensa recte praedicatur. Atque huc spectare judicamus celeberrimum illum locum, Johann. iii. 16. Sic Deus dilexit mundum, etc. Jam vero quod attinet ad amorem illum arcanum magisque specialem, quo Deus electos complectitur, absit ut negemus Christi mortem meritumque esse donum speciale speciali modo hisce electis redimendis et servandis ex speciali illa dilectione efficaciter et infallibiliter applicandum. Communi igitur dilectioni qua Deus humanum genus prosequitur, tribuimus, quod voluerit generalem constituere redemtorem, per cujus mortem et satisfactionem quivis, modo in eum credat, a peccatis suis absolvi possit, Act. xiii. 38. Speciali autem eudokia qua solos electos complectitur tribuendum putamus, quod ex morte et merito hujus constituti et ordinati Redemtoris decreverit quibusdam singularibus personis efficaciter et infallibiliter dare fidem, remissionem peccatorum, et vitam aeternam. Atque hanc specialem intentionem respexisse putamus Servatorem, Johann. x. 15, ubi dicit se animam ponere pro ovibus suis, hoc est, pro electis ita se in hostiam offerre ut ex ejus morte non modo possint salvari si credant, sed reapse credant et salventur. Non debemus igitur specialem Dei eudokian erga electos ita urgere ut lytron illud Christi omnibus et singulis Deo reconciliandis et liberandis ordinatum negemus, et, modo id vera fide amplectantur, applicandum; relictis interim Deo occultis suis judiciis et omnimoda libertate in dispensanda aut non dispensanda illa gratia speciali, cujus interventu fides infallibiliter in hominum cordibus producatur, et efficax applicatio procuretur, vitaque aeterna ex pacto Evangelico infallibiliter obtineatur.