02.01.04. Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4. Contains a Fourth Argument in Favour of the Limited Extent of CHRIST’s Death THE learned and ingenious Author of The Ruin and Recovery of Mankind, in Words greatly extols the Merits of our Saviour, he frequently speaks of his redundant, superabundant, and overflowing Merit; but his Opinion is a real Extenuation, and Nullity of his true Merit, as will hereafter appear.
1. The Foundation of Christ’s Merit, in his Obedience and Sufferings, is the infinite Dignity of his Person; his Obedience to the Law, his Sufferings and Death had not been available to the Justification of Men, or to the Remission of their Sins, if he had been a mere Creature, or Man only. His human Nature was the Subject of Obedience and Suffering; but his Obedience and Sufferings have their infinite Value, from his Divine Nature: His Righteousness being the Righteousness of God, and his Blood being the Blood of God, is the Reason, Cause, and Foundation of that Merit, which attends both.
2. It was an eminent Act of free and foreign Favour to Christ, as Man, to ordain his human Nature to a personal Union, with the Word the Son of God: This, which is his highest Honour, as Man and Mediator, is a free Gift, or it is a Fruit of the Father’s everlasting and eternal Love to him (John 17:24.). This he did not, he could not merit; for our Saviour can’t be supposed to have merited that, which rendered him a Subject capable of meriting. Which Augustin well improves as an Argument against Merit in us. And Calvin from him insists upon the same Argument in his Institutions (Lib. II. Cap 17.). Limborch very much misrepresents Calvin’s Sense in this Pointf2. His Opinion was not, that intrinsick Merit, did not attend what Christ did and suffered; this he pleads for; but inasmuch as this Union of the human Nature with the Divine, is the Result of God’s Decree, he resolves Christ’s Merit into that Decree, as the Origin of it; and represents the Grace of God as the supreme Cause, and the Merit of Christ, as the subordinate Cause of Salvation.
3. As a supreme, and subordinate Cause, are not inconsistent, so Salvation though it is merited by Christ, it is still freely given; the Grace of God is to be considered, as the supreme Cause, and Fountain of it: For since, the Merit of Christ, (as we shall find it is, if we trace it up to its Source) is to be resolved into, the free, and sovereign good Will of God, we affirm nothing incompatible, with the Freeness, Riches, and Sovereignty of Divine Grace, when we say, that our Salvation is merited, by the Obedience, and Sufferings of our Saviour. The Reason is, a Cause supreme, and subordinate, are by no Means repugnant.
4. Infinite Merit attended, what Christ did and suffered for his People, and by Virtue of the Union which subsists between him, and them, that Merit becomes theirs.
1st. His Obedience to the Law, had an infinite Merit attending of it. In order to give the Reader, a clear, and distinct, and just Idea of this most important Point, I observe.
(1.) It was by a special Divine Constitution, that Christ became Subject to the Law, Men are born under the Law, or Covenant of Works, as the natural Descendants of Adam, with whom, that Covenant was made, but so was not Christ: The first Adam was not a Head to the last Adam; and therefore, if the last Adam, comes under the Obligation of that Law, which was given to the first Adam, it must be, by an Appointment, and Decree peculiar to himself; hence as Christ was made of a Woman, i.e. as his human Nature was produced in a supernatural Manner, or not according to the settled Law of Nature, so he was made under the Law, by a special Appointment (Galatians 4:4.), otherwise he would have had no Concern, with the Law, or Covenant of Works, as a Subject of it. For as the first Man, was not a Head to the second Man, who is the Lord from Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:47.), nor he a natural Descendant from him, he was not, nor could be obliged to the Observation of that Law, or Covenant, (but by special Appointment) which was given to, and made with the first Man.
(2.) Christ as Man, by Vertue of his personal Union, with the Word, the Son of God, was raised above the Condition, and State of a mere Creature; or, had a Right to Glory, and Blessedness, even to Glory, as great as we may suppose, his human Nature thus advanced was capable of enjoying, for he was appointed Heir of all Things (Hebrews 1:3.); he was rich (2 Corinthians 8:9.), and his stooping to a low State was a voluntary Act of Condescension, being found in Fashion as a Man, be humbled himself (Php 2:8.); and therefore Obedience to the Law, became not due from him, in order to the Fruition of God: As he was exalted above the State, and Condition, of all Creatures, by Vertue of this Union, he is not to be considered under the same Obligation with them. And this is the great Mystery, and Glory of the Gospel; Oh that my Soul may for ever, admire, and adore it!
3.) Though he was not a mere Creature, but God as well as Man, and was thus exempted from the common State, and Condition of Creatures, yet, by a special Designation of the Father, and his own voluntary Agreement, he became subject to the Law., or Covenant of Works, not on his own Account, for that was impossible, but for the sake, of others; or with a gracious View, to their Redemption, from that Law, considered as a Covenant of Works.
(4.) Those, on whose Account he became subject to the Law, or Covenant of Works, are such, for whom he was a Surety to the Father, or to whom he was constituted a representative Head, and no others: For as his Obligation to the Law, or Covenant of Works, wholly arises from the Father’s sovereign Will, and his own voluntary Consent, it can’t be thought, that he stood obliged to fulfil that Law, or Covenant, for those, whole Surety he was not, and to whom he was not appointed, representative Head, until therefore, we shall see it clearly proved, that Christ is a Head, to such, who are not of his Body the Church, we shall continue to firmly believe, that he only fulfilled the Law for them, and that he is not, or was designed to be the End of the Law for Righteousness to any others.
(5.) Our blessed Saviour was perfectly conformable to the Law, his Nature was pure, and his Conduct unblemished, he did no Sin, neither was Guile found in his Mouth (1 Peter 2:22.). His Obedience was commensurable to, or every Way, such as the Law required, he always did those Things which pleased the Father.
(6.) As in his Obedience, he is to be considered a Surety and Head, his Righteousness, or Obedience, is imputed those, and only to those, for whom he became a Surety, and to whom. he was appointed a Head. He is not a Head to all Men, he only is to his Body the Church, i.e. the Church of First-born, who are written in Heaven, or the Elect of God, who we know are not all Men: All Men therefore ate not interested in his Obedience, and the Merit of it, which was the Point to be proved.
(7) The Deity of Christ infinitely exhalted his Obedience: Immense Honour arose to the Law by Christ’s Subjection to it, and Observation of it, he magnified the Law, and made it honourable (Isaiah 42:21.). The Obedience of our Lord is attended with Merit suitable to the Dignity of his Person, which Merit becomes theirs, on whole Account, he was made under the Law, and for whom as a Surety, and Head, he fulfilled it; they therefore are entitled to all those Benefits and Blessings which are the Result, of his Obedience; hence says the Apostle, That being justified by his Grace, we should be made Heirs, according to the Hope of eternal Life (Titus 3:17.).
(8) Infinite Merit attended the Sufferings of Christ: The Blood of our Redeemer, is equal in Value, and Worth, to the Greatness and Dignity his Person. Now he is the Brightness of the Father’s Glory, and the express Image of his Person (Hebrews 1:3.). It therefore is no Diminution, or lessening of the Father’s Honour, to esteem him, his EQUAL (Php 2:6.); of Consequence, he is a Person infinitely great and glorious. And if his Sufferings are allowed to have any thing of superior Worth in them, to those of a mere Creature, on Account of his Deity, if we will be consistent, and carry up our Reasoning, to its proper Pitch, in an Affair, wherein it is absolutely necessary to be done, we must grant, that as they have any thing more of Merit, in them, than those of a mere Creature, they have infinitely more and greater Worth: Hence it follows, that his Suffering are an adequate, and every Way sufficient Price, for our Redemption: An infinite Justice was offended, and an infinite Person suffered: Here was an Equality between the Judge, who punished, and the Subject, on whom Punishment was inflicted. And if the Death of Christ was a full, and adequate Price, of Redemption, then all those, for whom he died, in Justice, have a Right and Claim to a Discharge from Guilt, Freedom from Condemnation, and Security from the penal Effects of Sin. Whether these Things can consist with the universal Extent of his Death, a small Degree of Discernment, in spiritual Truths, will enable any Person to discover. It is impossible to maintain the true Merit of Christ, without granting, that all those partake of the Benefits which he merited, for whom they were procured; for it is unjust, to withhold that, to which a Person hath a Right; Merit gives Right to those Favours, which are supposed to be merited, whether that Merit, is personal, or it is the Merit of another, but becomes ours, by Vertue of the meritorious Action being done by one between whom and us, there is such a Union, as lays a proper Foundation, for the Imputation of that Action to us, which is the Case here, as plainly appears by what has been before observed. This cannot be denied, without an entire Subversion of the Gospel, in the most weighty Points, it recommends to our Faith and full Assent.