Also, that Christ made satisfaction for our sins appears from hence, that he was our mediator. Concerning this, after their attempt against proper redemption by his blood, which we have already con- sidered, question 28, they inquire, —
Q. What say you to this, that Christ is the mediator betiveen God and men, or [the mediator] of the new covenant?
A. Seeing it is read that Moses was a mediator, Gal. iii. 19 (namely, of the old covenant between God and the people of Israel), and it is evident that he no way made satisfaction to God, neither from hence, that Christ is the mediator of God and men, can it be certainly gathered that he made any satisfaction to God for our sins.^
' " Quid ad brec dicis, quod Christus sit mediator inter Dcum et liomiues, aut novo foederis? — Cum Icgatur Moses fuisse mediator, Gal. iii. 19 (puta inter Deum et popu- lum Israel aut prisci foederis), neque eum satisfecisse Deo ullo modo constet, ne bine quideui, quod mediator Dei et bominum Cbristus sit, colligi certo poterit eum satisfac- tioncm ali(iuam qua Deo pro peccatis nostris satisfieret peregisse."
OF UNIVERSAL GRACE AND ELECTION. 551
I sliall take leave, before I proceed, to make a return of this argu- ment to them from whom it comes, by a mere change of the instance given. Christ, they say, our high priest, offered himself to God in heaven. Now, Aaron is expressly said to be a high priest, and yet he did not offer himself in heaven ; and therefore it cannot be cer- tainly proved that Christ offereth himself in heaven because he was a high priest. Or thus: — David was a king, and a type of Christ; but David reigned at Jerusalem, and was a temporal king : it cannot therefore be proved that Christ is a spiritual king from hence, that he is said to be a king. This argument, I confess, Faustus Socinus could not answer when it was urged against him by Seidelius. But for the former, I doubt not but Smalcius would quickly have an- swered that it is true, it cannot be necessarily proved that Christ offereth himself in heaven because he was a high priest, which Aaron was also, but because he was such a high priest as entered into the heavens to appear personally in the presence of God for us, as he is described to be. Until he can give us a better answer to our argu- ment, I hope he will be content with this of ours to his. It is true, it doth not appear, nor can be evinced necessarily, that Christ made satisfaction for us to God because he was a mediator in general, for so Moses was, who made no satisfaction; but because it is said tliat he was such a "mediator between God and men" as gave his life a " price of redemption" for them for whom with God he mediated, 1 Tim. ii. 6, it is most evident and undeniable ; and hereunto Smalcius is silent.
What remains of this chapter in the catechists hath been already fully considered ; so to them and Mr B., as to his twelfth chapter, about the death of Christ, what hath been said may suffice. Many weighty considerations of the death of Christ in this whole discourse, I con- fess, are omitted, — and yet more, perhaps, have been delivered than by our adversaries occasion hath been administered unto ; but this business is the veiy centre of the new covenant, and cannot suffi- ciently be weighed. God assisting, a farther attempt will ere long be made for the brief statins: of all the several concernments of it.
CHAPTER XXXI.
Of election and universal grace — Of the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
Mr Biddle's intention in this thirteenth chapter being to decry God's eternal election, finding himself destitute of any scripture that should, to the least outward appearance, speak to his purpose, he de- serts the way and method of procedure imposed on himself, and in the very entrance falls into a dispute against it, with such arguments
552 VINDICI^ EVANGELICiE.
as the texts of Scripture after mentioned give not the least colour or countenance unto. Not that from me he incurs any blame for using any arguments wherehy he supposeth he may further or pro- mote his cause is this spoken; but having at the entrance protested against such a procedure, he ought not, upon any necessity, to have transgressed the law which to himself he had prescribed. But as the matter stands, he is to be heard to the full in what he hath to offer. Thus, then, he proceeds: —
Q. Those scriptures which you have already alleged, when I inquired for whom Christ died, intimate the universality of God's love to men ; yet, foras- much as this is a point of the greatest importance, iviihout the knowledge and be- lief whereof we cannot have any true and solid ground of corning unto God (because if he from eternity intended good only to a few, and those few are not set down in the Scriptures, which ivcre written that we through the comfort of them, might have hope, no man can certainly, yea, probably, infer that he is in the number of those few, the contrary being ten thousand to one inore likely), what other clear passages of Scripture have you which show that God, in sending Christ and proposing the gospel, aimed not at the salvation of a certain elect number, but of men in general?