Thesis 1: Christ's death is proposed in Scripture as a universal remedy applicable to every person unto salvation
Let us now come to our purpose. And first we will treat of the death of Christ as it is commonly proposed in the Holy Scriptures and ought to be considered by us — namely as a certain universal remedy instituted by God and applicable to the whole human race unto salvation. Then we will come to that other part of our dispute, concerning the death of Christ insofar as, by a special decree of God, it is a particular remedy to be applied efficaciously and infallibly to the salvation of certain persons. In the former consideration of the death of Christ various theses will meet us to be discussed, of which this is the first and principal, as being the basis of the rest, which we form in these words:
The death of Christ is proposed in Holy Scripture as a universal remedy applicable unto salvation to each and every human being by the ordination of God and by the nature of the thing.
This thesis is first to be explained, then confirmed by testimonies and arguments, and finally vindicated from contrary objections. As to the explanation: when we name the death of Christ, we comprehend the whole obedience of Christ, active and passive, whose completion and as it were final act was in the death itself — for which reason theologians commonly attribute by synecdoche to the death what belongs to the whole obedience. Whatever therefore Christ did, whatever he suffered, from the cradle to the cross, this whole satisfactory and meritorious work of the Redeemer we understand is to be joined and coupled with the death itself in this our thesis. So the Apostle (Romans 5:19) set the obedience of Christ taken universally as the cause of human salvation: by the obedience of one many are made righteous. And when it is said that Christ made himself obedient unto the death of the cross (Philippians 2:7-8), the Apostle does not exclude from the ground of meriting all the preceding obedience of Christ, but rather includes it, and teaches that this meritorious obedience of Christ already began when he took the form of a servant, and was consummated when he offered himself on the cross. Under the word death, therefore, we comprehend that infinite treasury of merits which the Mediator of God and men, the man Jesus Christ, whether by doing or by suffering, procured and heaped up for our use.
Secondly, when we say that this death, or this merit, is proposed in the Holy Scriptures as a universal cause of salvation, we mean this: according to the will of God made known in the word, this remedy is proposed without distinction to any individual of human nature unto salvation, yet cannot profit anyone unto salvation unless a special application intervene. For a universal cause of salvation, or a universal remedy, involves these two things: one, that it be of such a kind that it can cure and save each and every person; the other, that it be of such a kind that for producing this determined effect in any singular human being it requires a determined application.
We take the first testimony from (John 3:16): God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. By this testimony we effectively conclude that the death of Christ is applicable to any human being by the ordination of God, and will be applied if that person believes in Christ. Give me that individual of the human race to whom an evangelical minister cannot truly say: God so loved you that he gave his only-begotten Son, that if you believe in him you should not perish but have eternal life. This can be announced from the certainty of faith to any singular human being; therefore the death of Christ is applicable to any human being according to this will and ordination of God.
Latin
Cedamus jam ad institutum nostrum: et primo in loco de morte Christi disseremus uti ea in Scripturis sanctis proponi solet et a nobis considerari debet, nempe uti est remedium quoddam universale a Deo institutum, et toti humano generi ad salutem applicabile. Dein veniemus ad illam alteram partem disputationis nostrae, de morte scilicet Christi quatenus ex speciali decreto Dei est remedium particulare ad certarum personarum salutem efficaciter et infallibiliter applicandum. In priore consideratione mortis Christi variae theses nobis discutiendae occurrent, quarum haec prima est et praecipua, utpote basis reliquarum, quam hisce verbis efformamus: Mors Christi in sacra Scriptura proponitur ut universale remedium omnibus et singulis hominibus ex ordinatione Dei et natura rei ad salutem applicabile. Thesis haec primum est explicanda, dein testimoniis et argumentis confirmanda, demum ab objectionibus contrariis vindicanda. Ad explicationem quod attinet, quando mortem Christi nominamus, comprehendimus totam Christi obedientiam, activam et passivam, cujus complementum et quasi actus extremus in ipsa morte fuit: quam ob causam Theologi solent per Synecdochen id morti tribuere quod integrae obedientiae convenit. Quicquid igitur Christus egit, quicquid passus est, a cunabulis usque ad crucem, totum inquam hoc opus Redemptoris satisfactorium et meritorium cum ipsa morte in hac thesi nostra consociandum et copulandum esse intelligimus. Sic Apostolus, Rom. v. 19, obedientiam Christi universaliter sumptam posuit causam salutis humanae: propter obedientiam unius multi justi fiunt. Et Phil. ii. 7, 8, quando dicitur Christus obedientem se praestitisse usque ad mortem crucis, Apostolus non excludit a ratione merendi antecedaneam omnem Christi obedientiam, sed includit potius, atque docet hanc meritoriam Christi obedientiam jam tum incepisse ex quo formam servi accepit, consummatam autem fuisse cum in cruce se obtulit. Sub mortis itaque vocabulo infinitum illum thesaurum meritorum comprehendimus, quem Mediator Dei et hominum, homo Jesus Christus, sive agendo sive patiendo in nostrum usum comparavit et congessit. Secundò, cum dicimus hanc mortem, sive hoc meritum, in sacris Scripturis proponi ut universalem causam salutis, id volumus: juxta voluntatem Dei in verbo patefactam hoc remedium nullo discrimine cuivis individuo humanae naturae esse propositum ad salutem, prodesse tamen non posse cuilibet ad salutem nisi interveniente speciali applicatione. Nam universalis causa salutis sive universale remedium haec duo involvit: unum, quod ejusmodi sit ut possit omnes et singulos curare et servare; alterum, quod ejusmodi sit ut ad productionem hujus determinati effectus in quolibet singulari homine requirat applicationem determinatam. Primum testimonium petimus ex Johan. iii. 16: Sic Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret, ut omnis qui credit in eum non pereat, sed habeat vitam aeternam. Hoc testimonio efficaciter concludimus, Christi mortem esse cuivis homini applicabilem ex ordinatione Dei, et fore applicatam si crediderit in Christum. Detur mihi illud individuum humani generis cui non vere dicat Minister Evangelicus: Sic Deus te dilexit ut Filium suum unigenitum daret, ut si tu in eum credas, non pereas, sed habeas vitam aeternam. Hoc ex certitudine fidei cuivis singulari homini potest annunciari; ergo Christi mors est cuivis homini juxta hanc voluntatem et ordinationem Dei applicabilis.
About this text
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English follows locked 1650 Cambridge Latin of De morte Christi Cap. 1-6 opening (origin + Thesis 1 + Cap. 2 Rat. 1-ultima + Cap. 3 Satisfit through Obj. 17 + Cap. 4 Thesis 2 tip through Mem. 1 close + Cap. 4 Mem. 2 through Mem. 3 tip + Cap. 4 Mem. 3 possible-faith through Thesis 2 close + Cap. 5 Thesis 3 tip through Mem. 2 Scripture close + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Rat. 1-4 + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Fathers tip + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Huberiana objections tip through Obj. 3 Solut close + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 elect-from-eternity objections tip through Obj. 3 Solut close + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Scripture elect objections tip through Cap. 5 thesis close + Cap. 6 opening tip through Arg. 1 close before Arg. 2), reconstructed from the Internet Archive PDF (pdftotext + tesseract) of the Roger Daniel folio with DjVu OCR check. The 1683 reprint was not used as copy-text. No modern English was copied.
Catalogue & scope
Partial through De praedestinatione Cap. 1 subject tip. Cap. 1 mid-Thesis+ remain.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De morte Christi Cap. 1-5 densify through Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Fathers tip (Daniel 1650) (Latin)
- Print Facsimile Internet Archive PDF of the 1650 Cambridge folio (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive DjVu OCR of the 1650 Cambridge folio (Latin)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.