6. If God doth only purpose and promise to lay aside his anger upon the death of Christ, but doth it not until our actual believing, — then, first, our faith is the proper procuring cause of reconciliation, the death of Christ but a requisite ante- cedent; which is not the Scripture phrase, Rom. v. 10; 2 Cor. v. 18; Eph. ii. 16; Col. i. 20, 21 ; Dan. ix. 24; Heb. ii. 17; Eph. i, 7; Heb. ix. 12. Secondly, how comes the sinner by faith, if it is the gift of God?* It must be an issue of anger and enmity; for that scheme only is actually ascribed to him before our enjoyment of it. Strange ! that God should be so far reconciled as to give us faith, that we may be reconciled to him, that thereupon he may be reconciled to us.
III. For the third instance, — of God's receiving the sinner into love and favour upon his believing, quite laying aside his anger, — I answer, to waive the Anthropo- morphism wherewith this assertion is tainted as the former, if by receiving into favour he intend absolute, complete, pactional justification, being an act of favour quitting the sinner from the guilt of sin, charged by the accusation of the law, terminated in the conscience of a sinner, I confess it, in order of nature, to follow our believing.
I might consider farther the attempts of others for the right stating- of this business, but it would draw me beyond my intention. His failings lierein who is so often mentioned and so much used by him who gives occasion to this rescript, I could not but remark. What are my own thoughts and apprehensions of the whole, I shall in the next place briefly impart.
Now, to make way herevmto, some things I mvtst suppose; which, though some of them otherwhere controverted, yet not at all in reference to the present busi- ness : and they are these : —
That Christ died only for the elect; or, God gave his Son to die only for those whom he chooseth for life and salvation, for the praise of his glorious grace.
This is granted by Mr Baxter, where he affirms, " That Chx-ist bare not punish- ment for them who must bear punishment themselves in eternal fire," thes. 33, p. 1G2 ; and again, "Christ died not for final unbelief," thes. 33, p. 159: there- fore, not for them who are finally unbelievers, as all n on- elected are and shall be. For what sinners he died, he died for all their sins, Rom. v. 6-8 ; 2 Cor. v. 21 ; 1 John i. 7.
If any shall say, that as he died not for the final unbelief of others, so not fov the final unbelief of the elect, and so not for final unbelief at all, I answer, — .
First, If by final vmbelief you mean that which is actually so, Christ satisfied not for it. His satisfaction cannot be extended to those things whose existence is prevented by his merit. The omission of this, in the consideration of the death of Christ, lies at the bottom of many mistakes. Merit and satisfaction are of eqttal extent as to their objects ; both also tend to the same end, but in sundry respects.
Secondly, If by final unbelief you understand that which would be so, notwith- standing all means and remedies, were it not for the death of Christ, so he did satisfy for it, its existence being prevented by his merit. So, then, if Christ died not for final unbelief, he died not for the finally unbelieving. Tliotigh the satis- faction of his death hath not paid for it, the merit of his death would remove it.
Thirdly, I suppose that the means as well as the ends, grace as glory, are the purchase and procurement of Jesus Christ. See this proved in my treatise of Re- demption, lib. iii. cap. 4, etc.
Fourthly, That God is absolutely immtitable and unchangeable in all his attri- butes ; neither doth his will admit of any alteration. This proved above.
I Eph. ii. 8 ; Phil i. 29.
454 OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST.
Fifthly, Tluit the will of Go J is not moved, properly, by any external cause what- soever, unto any of its acts, whether immanent or transient ; for, —
1. By 'a moving cause we unrlerstand a cause morally eflicient; and if any thing were so properly in respect of any act of God's will, then the act, which is the will of God acting, must in some respect, — namely, as it is an effect, — be less worthy, and inferior to the cause ; for so is every effect in respect to its cause. And, —
2. Every effect produced proceedeth from a passive possibility unto the effect; which can no way be assigned unto God. Besides, it must be temporary ; for no- thing that is eternal can have dependence upon that whose rise is in time. And such are all things external to the will of God, even the merit of Christ himself.
3 I cannot imagine how there can be any other cause why God willeth any thing than why he not willeth or willeth not other things; which for any to assign will be found chfficult. Matt. xi. 25, 26, xx. 15. So, then, when God willeth one thing for another, as our salvation for the death of Cln-ist, the one is the cause of the other; neither moveth the will of God. Hence, —