But now, after God hath got this power by the death of Christ, and out of his gracious good pleasure assigned faith to be the means for us to attain those blessings, he hath procured himself a liberty to bestow. Did Christ obtain this faith for us of him, if it be a thing not m our own power? No; *" faith is not obtained by the death of Christ," saith Corvinus. So that there is no good thing, no spiritual blessing, into which any man in the world hath any interest by the death of Christ : which is not so great an absurdity but that they are most ready to grant it. Arnoldus confesseth, ®" that he believes that the death of Christ might have enjoyed its end, or his
■ " Potuisset Deus, si ita sapientise stisb visum fuisset, operarios, Judiseos, vel alios etiam prseter fideles eligere, quia potuit aliam salutis couditionem, quam fidein in Christum exigere." — Grevinch. ad Ames., p. 415.
2 " Christus nou est proprie mortuus ad aliquem salvandum." — Idem, ibid, p. 8.
' " Postquam impetratio praestita ac peracta esset, Deo jus suum integrum mansit, pro arbitrio suo, eam applicare, vel non applicare; nee applicatio finis impetrationis propria fuit, sed jus et potestas applicandi, quibus et qualibus vellet." — P. 9.
* " Fides non est impetrata merito Christi," etc. — Corv. ad Molin., cap. xxviii. p. 419.
* " Se omnino credere, futurum fuisse, ut finis mortis Christi constaret, etiamsi nemo credidisset." — Idem, cap. xxvii. sect. 3, 4.
96 A DISPLAY OF ARMINIANISM.
merit its full force, although never any had believed : " and again, ^ " The death and satisfaction of Christ being accomplished, it might come to pass that, none fulfilling the condition of the new covenant, none should be saved J' So also saith Grevinchovius. O Christ ! that any pretending to profess thy holy name should thus slight the pre- cious work of thy death and passion ! Surely never any before, who counted it their glory to be called Christians, did ever thus extenuate (their friends the Socinians only excepted) the dignity of his merit and satisfaction. Take but a short view of what benefit they allow to redound to us by the effusion of his precious blood, and you may see what a pestilent heresy these men have laboured to bring into the church. Neither faith nor salvation, grace nor glory, hath he purchased for us, — not any spiritual blessing, that by our interest in his death we can claim to be ours! It is not such a reconciliation Avith God as that lie thereupon should be contented again to be called our God ; it is not justification, nor righteousness, nor actual redemption from our sins ; it did not make satisfaction for our iniqui- ties, and deliver us from the curse; ^" only it was a means of obtain- ing such a possibility of salvation, as that God, without wronging of his justice, might save us if he would, one way or other." So that, when Christ had done all that he could, there was not one man in the world immediately the better for it; notwithstanding the utmost of his endeavour, every one might have been damned with Judas to the pit of hell; for ^"he died as well for Simon Magus and Judas as he did for Peter and Paul," say the Arminians. Now, if no more good redound to us by the death of Christ than to Simon Magus, we are not much obliged to him for our salvation. Nay, he may be rather said to have redeemed God than us; for he procured for him immediately a power to redeem us if he would; for us only, by virtue of that power, a possibility to be redeemed ; — which leaves nothing of the nature of merit annexed to his death, for that deserveth that something be done, not only that it may be done ; the workman deserveth that his wages be given him, and not that it may be given him. And then what becomes of all the comfort and consolation that is proposed to us in the death of Christ ? But it is time to see how this stubble is burned and consumed by the word of God, and that established which they thought to overthrow. First, It is clear that Christ died to procure for us an actual
1 " Posita et prrestita Christi morte et satisfactione, fieri potest, ut, nemine novi foe- deris conditioncm pra^stante, nemo salvaretur." — Idem. Grevincli. ad Ames. p. 9.
2 " Jmpctratio sjdutis pro omnibus, est acquisitio possibilitatis, ut nimirum Pens, illaesa sua justitia, hominem pcccatorera possit recipere in gi'atiam." — Kern. Coll. Hag., p. 172.
3 " Pro Juda ac Petro mortuus est Christus, et pro Simone Mago et Juda tarn quam pro Paulo ct Petro." — Rem. Synod, p. 320.
OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST. 9 7
reconciliation with God, and not only a power for us to be recon- ciled unto him; for " when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son/'' Eom. v. 10. We enjoy an actual re- conciliation unto God by his death. He is content to be called " our God" when we are enemies, without the intervening of any condition on our part required ; though the sweetness, comfort, and knowledge of this reconciliation do not compass our souls before we believe in him. Again, we have remission of sins by his blood, and justification from them ; not a sole vindication into such an estate wherein, if it please God and ourselves, our sins are pardonable: for we are "justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus : whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins," Rom. iii. 2-1, 25. Yea, he obtained for us by his death righteousness and holiness. " He gave himself for the church, that he might sanctify and cleanse it," Eph. v. 25, 26 ; " that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle ;" that we should be " holy and without blemish," verse 27. Where, first, we have whom Christ died or gave himself for, even his church ; secondly, what he ob- tained for it, — holiness and righteousness, a freedom from the spots and blemishes of sin, that is, the grace of justification and sanctity: " He made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him," 2 Cor. v. 21. And, lastly, he died to purchase for us " an eternal inheritance," Heb. ix. 15. So that both grace and glory are bestowed on them for whom he died, as the immediate fruits of his death and pas- sion.