Of the redemption of mankind three bookes wherein the controuersie of the vniuersalitie of redemption and grace by Christ, and of his death for all men, is largely handled. Hereunto is annexed a treatise of Gods predestination in one booke. Written in Latin by Iacob Kimedoncius D. and professor of Diuinitie at Heidelberge, and translated into English by Hugh Ince preacher of the word of God.

CHAP. IX. Testimonies of the Schoolemen, and other new Diuines.

BVt that wee may throughly bring to an end the report of our witnesses, let vs proceed to the Schoolmē, as they cal them, who also haue spread abroad the doctrine which in this point they receiued from their forefathers.

* 1.1Peter Lombard called the Master of Sentences, speaketh of his own & others opinion, that Christ merited for his mem∣bers redemption from the deuill and sinne, and the opening of the kingdom of heauen, that his fierie sword being taken away, they may boldly enter thereinto. In the same distinction about the end: He deserued for vs by the suffering of death and pas∣sion the entrance into Paradise, and redemption from sinne and the deuill. For he by dying was made the sacrifice of our deliue∣rie. But restraining this whole benefit of redemption vnto those that be Christs, a little after he addeth: If Adams pride was the ruine of all, much more was the humilitie of Christ, wherby he tasted of death, able to open the gate of the kingdome of heauen for all his owne, after he had fulfilled the decree of God. The same man in his next distinction: We are said to be iustified by the death of Christ, because we are iustified by faith in his death: and as in old time such as looked vpon the brasen Serpent lifted vp vpon the pole, were healed of the bitings of Serpents: so if we looke vpon him by a true faith, who did hang vpon the crosse for vs, we are loosed from the bands of the deuil, that is, from sinnes. And in other words at large in the same place he teacheth, that deliuerance from the deuill belongs to them that beleeue in Christ.

* 1.2Innocentius 3. maketh this distinction•• that the blood of Christ was shed for the predestinate onely, as touching efficien∣cie, but for all men as touching sufficiencie: and he bringeth the words of Leo before by vs recited. And there is nothing more common among the Schoolmen then this distinction.

Hereupon Thomas in 1. Tim. 2. saith:* 1.3 Christ is the propitiation for our sinnes: for some effectually, but for all sufficiently, be∣cause the price of his blood is sufficient to saue all, but it hath not effect but in the elect, because of an impediment. And more cleerely vpon 5. Apoc. he saith: We speake of the Lords passion two maner of waies. Either according to sufficiencie, and so his passion redeemed all: for it is sufficient to redeeme and saue all, although there were more worlds, as Anselme saith, lib. 2. Cur Deus &c. homo. cap. 14. Or according to efficiencie, and so not all are redeemed by his passion, because all cleaue not to the redeemer, and therefore not all haue the efficacie of re∣demption. The same man saith:* 1.4 The merit of Christ as touch∣ing sufficiencie is alike to all, but not as touching efficiencie: which happeneth partly through freewill, partly through Gods election, by the which the effect of Christs merits is bestowed vpon some of mercie, but it is withdrawne from others by the iust iudgement of God.

Against the Gentiles, lib. 4. cap. 55. he alleageth this cause of the foresaid distinction betweene sufficiencie and efficien∣cie. The death of Christ (saith he) is as a certaine vniuersall cause of saluation, as the sinne of the first man was as it were the vniuersall cause of damnation. But the vniuersall cause must be applied to euery one particularly, that he may receiue the effect of the vniuersal cause. The effect of the sin of our first parents commeth to euery one by our fleshly birth. But the ef∣fect of the death of Christ commeth to euery one by spiritual re∣generation, whereby man is after a sort ioyned vnto Christ, and incorporated vnto him. Other testimonies of this author we haue before alleaged.

Petrus Galatinus a most learned man,* 1.5 following the same distinction writeth after this sort: Albeit the passion of Christ ought to be sufficient to blot out the sinnes of all men: yet it will not blot out the sinnes of all, but theirs onely who shall beleeue in him, and repent. Therefore saith the Prophet; he bare the sinnes of many.

Also Stapulensis:* 1.6 Christ hath truly in himselfe the redemp∣tion of all, sufficient not onely for vs, but to redeeme innume∣rable

worlds beside: but not al are partakers therof because of their owne peruersnes: as the light of it selfe is able to driue away the darkenes of all men, albeit not all mens eies be inligh∣tened.

Among our Diuines Martyr, Caluin, Zanchie, and others, admit and follow the same distinction, as wee haue largely noted in the 1. booke chap. 11. Likewise in the 2. booke cha. 12. we haue prooued I thinke sufficiently that the most fa∣mous and best learned Diuines of Heluetia, Zuinglius, Mus∣culus, Bullinger, Gualther, Wolfius, Simlerus, Lauaterus and others, are in very deede of the same opinion that we defend touching the vniuersality of grace.

* 1.7To these also let vs adioyne Luther. So great (saith he) is the righteousnesse of Christ, that it is able to iustifie infinite worlds: and Christ offereth his righteousnesse to all men, but all that beleeue in him doe obtaine it, according to that, He that beleeueth and is baptised, shall be saued. Others abide vnder sinne and wrath. And in the same place: Christian righteous∣nes (saith he) is not receiued, vnles Christ be knowen before. A∣gaine, Christian righteousnesse touching the substance is no∣thing els, then the knowledge of Christ, that is, faith wherewith Christ is apprehended in the hart, that he hath giuen himselfe a ransome for vs and for our sinnes, as Paul saith, 1: Tim. 2. The word surely offereth and preacheth Christ to all, as the sacrifice for our sinnes: but vnlesse the holy Ghost inlighten the hearts, no man can giue assent vnto this word. And we assent, when we apprehend the promise, that in Christ is the blessing of Na∣tions, and this is the glorie of a Christian to know, that it is his righteousnes to beleeue in Christ. The same man (as we haue seene aboue) expoundeth those sayings farre otherwise then our aduersaries doe, to wit, God will haue all men to be saued: I wil not the death of a sinner, whereupon being naughtily vn∣derstood leaneth the opinion of our aduersaries: hee vnder∣standeth them of God will reuealed in his word, which he dis∣cerneth from that hidden will whereat man must trembl, wher∣vpon alone (he saith) all things doe depend, namely who shall receiue the word, and who not: who shall be deliuered from

sinne, and who shall be blinded: who shall be damned, and who shalbe iustified.

Neither doeth Brentius teach otherwise of the vniuersality of Christian redemption:* 1.8 namely that all sinnes are pardoned all men for Christes sake, whosoeuer they be, Iewes or Gen∣tiles, kings or priuate men, free men or bond, so that they come to the Church of Christ, and beleeue in him. For who∣soeuer (saith hee) beleeueth in Christ and is baptized in his name, receiueth remission of sinnes, and the right into the heauenly inheritance. And by name hee often saith, that this benefite is not receiued but by faith, &c. Briefly, by this mans iudgement, forgiuenes of sinnes, receiuing into fauour, & into the number of the saints, adoption also, & the right of the heauenly inheritance, (in al which points we vnderstand that redemptiō consisteth, are the proper gifts of the Church of the saints, and of true beleeuers, & stretcheth far & wide as the Church of Christ doth: and they are neuertheles rightly said to belong to all, as far forth as no man of what degree or condition soeuer, is hindred frō them, so that he doe beleeue.

Whereunto belongeth also that exposition, whereof wee before made mention in Matth. 1. To whom is Iesus a Ie∣sus, that is a Sauiour from their sinnes? the Euanglist saith, he shall saue his people. He doth not saue strangers, but his owne people. They be strangers, as many as beleeue not in him: and they are his owne, as many as acknowledge and imbrace him by faith, be they Iewes or Gentiles &c. Let the disputers of Tu∣binge if they can, make these things agree with the deuise of their braine, that all wholly, whether they come to Christ by faith, or no, are freed from all sinne and condemnation, receiued into grace, iustified, quickened,* 1.9 and accounted in the number of Saints: and that all, no one excepted, are that people of Christ, whereof it is said: he shall saue his people from their sinnes.

But let them heare another of their friendes also openly pronouncing, that Christ died for all men,* 1.10 because by him not onely the Iewes, but also the elect of God whersoeuer ought to be saued, who from the East and West are gathered to Abra∣ham their father. Againe, the merite of Christ, saith he, is found

to surmount exceedingly in the iudgement of God the sinnes of the whole world, and so Christ, and all his members (not the members and vessels of Satan) are pronounced righteous. And he addeth, that therefore chiefly Christs victorie against Sa∣tan was referred to the time of his death, because then by the merite of his death, was that treasure of victories obtained, which otherwise is distributed to the beleeuers in all times. And by and by: here is the difference betweene the power and the act, or the purchase and the application, or the right and the possession. In the Merite, and purchase of the right, or in pow∣er, Satan was at that time of his passion cast out of all men, and so out of the whole world: but in application, or acte, onely of the beleeuers is he cast out at all times.

Let that distinction of power and act, or of sufficiency and efficiencie bee well obserued, as this authour doeth fully ex∣plaine himselfe, when vpon the wordes of Iohn 1. Epistle 2. hee writeth the chiefe point of the cause of the aduersaries in these wordes: when hee saith, for our sinnes, hee meaneth the beleeuers, whom the passion of Christ doth in very deed pro∣fite. In that he addeth, of the whole world, he vnderstandeth it of the power, because the benefites and merite of Christ lye o∣pen for all, and all may be saued fully by his satisfaction, (so excellent, sufficient and precious is his merite,) if they vouch∣safe to lay hold vpon it by faith.

It would be very long to reckon vp euery thing: yet it may not be let passe,* 1.11 that I meane to say now, concerning the Sy∣node held at Argentine. Anno D. 1533. There a disputation being appointed with one Melchior Hofman an Anabapti∣sticall and Palagian deceauer, among other his errors, this al∣so was condemned, that he maintained, that all be elected, and all redeemed by Christ, altogether as Huber will haue not onely redemption, and the merite of Christ, but also election in him, to bee indifferently common to all men after the fall. But contrariwise that Synode out of the word of God pro∣nounced: that God after he had foreknowen from euerlasting, that mankinde by the fall of our first parents, would he subiect to eternall death, of meere mercie, before the world was made,

chose, foreknew and predestinated vnto himselfe to eternall life some out of mankind, letting passe the rest: & that the death of Christ was for the sins of these men a propitiation. Therfore that neither election, nor redemption of Christ is common to al men, as Hofman dreamed to entangle wretched consciences and to corrupt sound doctrine. But that therefore the merit of Christ is said and preached to be common to the whole world because after Christs glorification, not onely the Iewes, but all other nations must bee made partakers thereof, to wit, as many of them as be elected. And in this sense the sayd Synod doth expound the testimonies of Scripture obiected by Hofman:* 1.12 In thy seede all nations shall be blessed: As in Adam all dye, so in Christ all are quickened: When I shall be lifted vp, I will draw all vnto me: God wil haue al men to be saued, & to come to the knowledge of the trueth. Also, Iesus Christ is the at∣tonement for the sinnes of the whole world: The Lambe taking away the sinnes of the world, and such like. For wee must not thinke, that where these words be, all men, all the world, the whole world, that there straightwaies all men, no one excep∣ted, must bee vnderstood: for such phrases haue not euery where one and the same signification.

He that desireth to know these things more throughly, let him reade Hieronymus Zanchius of godly memorie, my re∣uerend teacher, whom for honour and reuerence sake which I owe him, I name, lib. 3. miscell pag 79. and specially the Acts of the disputation of Hofman by Martin Bucer, which hee published in his owne, and his associates name, printed at Argentine by Matthias Appiarius, Anno 1533. And this whole doctrine, which M. Bucer defendeth in disputation a∣gainst Hofman, the whole Senate of Argentine approued as sound, and would haue it faithfully taught and preached in that citie, suffering no man to speake any thing against that doctrine, or to slāder it, either opēly or in corners, much lesse to withdraw others from it, as the little book testifieth, which is intituled, Ordinatio & ceremonia pro ministris Ecclesiae Argentinensis &c. A. ij. pag. ij.

Which things seeing they stand thus, with what forehead,

with what shame, dare the aduersarie openly write, that our opinion of Redemption was neuer heard of among the peo∣ple of God, vntill the time of the Conference at Mompel∣gard? O whorish audacitie of falsely accusing, and witnesse of extreame ignorance, if not of malice!

Notes

• * 1.1

  Pet. Lomb lib. 3 distinct. 18.
• * 1.2

  Innocent 3 lib. 2. de offic. missae. cap. 41.
• * 1.3

  Thomas.
• * 1.4

  Idem summ. de veritate materia 26. quaest. 7.
• * 1.5

  Pet. Galatin. de arcam. Cath. verit. lib. 8. cap. 14.
• * 1.6

  Stapul. in 5. Ro.
• * 1.7

  Luther. tom. 3. in Isa. 53.
• * 1.8

  Brentius exp. Catech. Ar••••. de rem. pecc. quaest. quàm laté paceat.
• * 1.9

  Huber. thes. 1059.
• * 1.10

  Ilirie. in Io. 12. ver. 52. in ver. 31.
• * 1.11

  The Synode held at Arger∣tine against 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Hofman an Anabaptist, and Pelagian Heritike.
• * 1.12

  Gen. 12. 1. cor. 15. Io. 12. 1. Tim. 2. 1. Io. 2. Io. 1.