Hooker:

Redemption Price for All:

1) XLIX.
Prayer that all men
may find mercy,
and the will of God,
that all men might
be saved.

In praying for deliverance from all adversity we seek that which nature doth wish to itself; but by entreating for mercy towards all, we declare that affection wherewith Christian charity thirsts after the good of the whole world, we discharge that duty which the Apostle himself does impose on on the Church of Christ as a commendable office, a sacrifice acceptable in God’s sight, a service according to his heart whose desire is “to have all men saved,” ⁵⁴ a work most suitable with his purpose who gave himself to be the price of redemption for all, and a forcible mean to procure the conversion of all such as are not yet acquainted with the mysteries of that truth which must save their souls. Against it there is but the bare show of this one impediment, that all men’s salvation and many men’s eternal condemnation or death are things the one repugnant to the other, that both cannot be brought to pass; that we know there are vessels of wrath to whom God will never extend mercy, and therefore that wittingly we ask an impossible thing to be had.⁵⁵ Richard Hooker, The Works of Mr. Richard Hooker, (London: Clarendon Press, 1874), 2: 213-214. [Some spelling modernized; some reformatting, footnote values and content original; bracketed inserts original; some marginal references not included; and underlining mine.] [Note, some footnoting in the original is incorrectly sequenced.]

Life and Death of Christ Sufficient for All:

1) This life and this resurrection our Lord Jesus Christ is for all men as touching the sufficiency of that he has done; but that which makes us partakers thereof is our particular communion with Christ, and this sacrament a principal mean as well to strengthen the bond as to multiply in us the fruits of the same communion. . . . Richard Hooker, The Works of Mr. Richard Hooker, (London: Clarendon Press, 1874), 2: 380. [Some spelling modernized; and underlining mine.]

Read the rest of this entry »

Hobson:

1) First, that he died for all, I shall prove it by Scripture, and then show you how; to prove this truth that Christ died for every man, I shall not prove it from these Scriptures, John 3:16, chap. 6:33, 2 Cor. 5:19, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:14, and my reason for it is, those Scriptures though they speak out the word [all] and the word [world] yet there is no safety to make positive conclusions upon doubtful expressions, I mean as to the nature and measure of the word [all] and [world] for sometimes the word [world] includes the whole, as Job 34:18, Psalm 24:1, Psalm 50:12, 98:7, or Her. 10:12, Acts 17:24.

Secondly, the world [world] is taken for a part as well as the whole, as in these Scriptures, John 13:1, chap. 14:17, chap. 15:18, 19, chap. 17:6, 9, Acts 17:6, Acts 19:27, Rev. 13:3.

Thirdly, as the world [world] does include sometimes a part, so sometimes of that part, it does intend properly the wicked of the world, as in Acts, 17:31, Rom. 12:2, 1 Cor. 3:19, chapt. 4:9, chap. 6:2, Hebr. 11:7, 2 Peter 2:5, 1 John 5:19. Again in other places is does also properly intend only the professors or believers in Christ, as in these Scriptures, John 12:19, Rom. 11:12, 15, John 17:21, 23. Now all that can be said or declared from these fore-mentioned Scriptures where the word [world] or [all] is expressed where the death of Christ is declared, or reconciliation by him is to you very doubtful, whether it be to every one, or only believers, and therefore seeing that a doubtful supposition is no foundation for infallibly conclusions, nor to the end any controversy in discourse, because supposition is as strong in the one as the other, and convinces none, but produces disputes in all, and therefore I shall in my Answer not positively conclude from, but set them aside in this discourse, and draw as my proof as I told you before, either from Scripture or reason that does arise no other way than from absolute necessity.

So now to my Affirmation, which is, that Christ died for every man, but not for all alike.

First, that he died for every man, for the proof of that see 1 Tim. 4: 10, he is the savior of every man, but especially, so there is a common salvation by Christ. This truth is also made good in 2 Pet. 2: 1, where he declares some men to be men of destruction, and tells them that they had denied the Lord that bought them; so that wicked men and men of destruction were comprehended in the purchase of Christ, further see Heb. 2: 9.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cyril of Jerusalem:

Lecture XIII
On the words, Crucified and Buried. Isaiah 53: 1, 7.

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?. . .
He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, &c.

1. EVERY deed of Christ is a cause of glorying to the Catholic Church, but her greatest of all glorying is in the Cross; and knowing this, Paul says, But God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of Christ. For wondrous indeed it was, that one who was blind from his birth should receive sight in Siloam; but what is this compared with the blind of the whole world? A great thing it was, and passing nature, for Lazarus to rise again on the fourth day; but the grace extended to him alone, and what was it compared with the dead in sins throughout the world? Marvellous it was, that five loaves should pour forth food for the five thousand; but what is that to those who are famishing in ignorance through all the world? It was marvellous that she should have been loosed who had been bound by Satan eighteen years: yet what is this to all of us, who were fast bound in the chains of our sins? But the glory of the Cross led those who were blind through ignorance into light, loosed all who were held fast by sin, and ransomed the whole world of mankind.

2. And wonder not that the whole world was ransomed; for it was no mere man, but the only-begotten Son of God, who died on its behalf. Moreover one man’s sin, even Adam’s, had power to bring death to the world; but if by the trespass of the one death reigned over the world, how shall not life much rather reign by the righteousness of the One? And if because of the tree of food they were then cast out of paradise, shall not believers now more easily enter into paradise because of the Tree of Jesus? If the first man formed out of the earth brought in universal death, shall not He who formed him out of the earth bring in eternal life, being Himself the Life? If Phineas, when he waxed zealous and slew the evil-doer, staved the wrath of God, shall not Jesus, who slew not another, but gave up Himself for a ransom, put away the wrath which is against mankind?

3. Let us then not be ashamed of the Cross of our Saviour, but rather glory in it. For the word of the Cross is unto Jews a stumbling-block, and unto Gentiles foolishness, but to us salvation: and to them that are perishing it is foolishness, but unto us which are being saved it is the power of God. For it was not a mere man who died for us, as I said before, but the Son of God, God made man. Further; if the lamb under Moses drove the destroyer far away, did not much rather the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, deliver us from our sins? The blood of a silly sheep gave salvation; and shall not the Blood of the Only-begotten much rather save? If any disbelieve the power of the Crucified, let him ask the devils; if any believe not words, let him believe what he sees. Many have been crucified throughout the world, but by none of these are the devils scared; but when they see even the Sign of the Cross of Christ, who was crucified for us, they shudder. For those men died for their own sins, but Christ for the sins of others; for He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. It is not Peter who says this, for then we might suspect that he was partial to his Teacher; but it is Esaias who says it, who was not indeed present with Him in the flesh, but in the Spirit foresaw His coming in the flesh. Yet why now bring the Prophet only as a witness? take for a witness Pilate himself, who gave sentence upon Him, saying, I find no fault in this Man: and when he gave Him up, and had washed his hands, he said, I am innocent of the blood of this just person1494. There is yet another witness of the sinlessness of Jesus,–the robber, the first man admitted into Paradise; who rebuked his fellow, and said, “We receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done nothing amiss; for we were present, both thou and I, at His judgment.”

4. Jesus then really suffered for all men; for the Cross was no illusion, otherwise our redemption is an illusion also. His death was not a mere show, for then is our salvation also fabulous. If His death was but a show, they were true who said, We remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I rise again1498. His Passion then was real: for He was really crucified, and we are not ashamed thereat; He was crucified, and we deny it not, nay, I rather glory to speak of it. For though I should now deny it, here is Golgotha to confute me, near which we are now assembled; the wood of the Cross confutes me, which was afterwards distributed piecemeal from hence to all the world. I confess the Cross, because I know of the Resurrection; for if, after being crucified, He had remained as He was, I had not perchance confessed it, for I might have concealed both it and my Master; but now that the Resurrection has followed the Cross, I am not ashamed to declare it.

5. Being then in the flesh like others, He was crucified, but not for the like sins. For He was not led to death for covetousness, since He was a Teacher of poverty; nor was He condemned for concupiscence, for He Himself says plainly, Whosoever shall look upon a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already; not for smiting or striking hastily, for He turned the other cheek also to the smiter; not for despising the Law, for He was the fulfiller of the Law; not for reviling a prophet, for it was Himself who was proclaimed by the Prophets; not for defrauding any of their hire, for He ministered without reward and freely; not for sinning in words, or deeds, or thoughts, He who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth; who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, threatened not; who came to His passion, not unwillingly, but willing; yea, if any dissuading Him say even now, Be it far from Thee, Lord, He will say again, Get thee behind Me, Satan.

Cyril of Jerusalem,  “The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril Archbishop of Jerusalem,” in A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, ed., Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (Grand Rapids, MI.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1961), 7:82-83. [Some spelling modernized; italics original; footnotes not included; and underlining mine.]

[Credit to Josh for the find.]

Holmes:¹

CHAP. III.

Of the proportion between Election and Redemption.

For further clearing of what has been said, this question would be followed whether election and redemption are not somehow opposite? for election is expressed but of some, redemption is offered to all. To which we answer, though we touch on it afore. That though redemption itself, be in the first act larger than election: viz., in Christ dying in the common nature of man, not in that of angels, and thereby brings human nature near to salvation, than the common nature of angels, so that man’s nature in general, is saveable, where the wicked angels are not (“For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham, Heb. 2:10, which is but the renewing of that covenant with Adam, Gen. 3:15). For otherwise men under the gospel, could not be justly damned for unbelief, but would be threatened for not believing a lie, namely that Christ died for them, when as in no sort he did. But this distinction of Christ’s dying for the common nature, solves that difficulty, shows what interest all men haver in Christ’s redemption, and the fault of them to whom it is made known, not in claiming it and closing with it. I say, though, in this first act, redemption seems of greater latitude than election, yet in the last and ultimate act they are equal; which is the last act is to make particular persons (that are only saveable in the common nature) to be actually saved in their particular persons, which is done by Christ’s special act of Mediatorship, viz., Intercession, John 17:20, “I pray for them which shall believe on me,” whereas the other saveability is done by Christ’s common act of mediatorship of making atonement by death. So that evenly to an hair² those only that are elected, are effectually redeemed. For though in God’s election there be no necessary compulsion, yet there is in it a necessity of infallibility, of infallibility else God should not know what would befall his own purpose. Yet not compulsion, and, therefore, we must not charge upon election which belongs not to it. As that non-election does effect and force us out of salvation. We must not confound God’s decree, and the execution of his decree, or cut off the rest of the links of God’s predestination, namely, vocation, justification, conformation to Christ, &c., Rom. 8, from the first act of election choosing of some, and so on the contrary. For non-election cannot damn us, unless we refuse vocation, &c.³

And as thus, election and redemption in themselves, in the thing, are of equal latitude,⁴ so also in the promulugation or offer of the doctrine of the gospel. The gospel holding out election indefinitely (though determinated with God). “The Lord knows them that are his,” 2 Tim. 2:19. And that “THEM” to be a great many, defines not to us how many, of the Jews, 140000 (a certain number for an uncertain), but all the Jews and Gentiles, “a great multitude which no man could number,” Rev. 7:4,9. And redemption indefinitely that Christ “died for ungodly, for sinners,” “for enemies.” For men void of grace, ordinary sinners, and extraordinary, that had opposed him, Rom. 5.

Read the rest of this entry »