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Overall:

CHAP. II.

Concerning the Death of Christ.

The Opinion of our Church concerning the Death of Christ is so plain, and every where so consistent with it self; That Christ died for All Men, or for all the Sins of all Men; that it is to be wondered, that any of us should ever have ventured to call it in Question. It is said in the II. Article,

that Christ truly Suffered, was Crucified, Dead, and Buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a Sacrifice, not only for Original Guilt, but also for all the actual Sins of Men.

Article VII. As well in the Old as New Testament, everlasting Life is offered to Mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and Man, being both God and Man.

Article XV. ‘Christ came to be a Lamb without Spot, who by Sacrifice of himself once made, should take away the Sins of the World. And again, Article XXXI, The Offering of Christ once made, is that perfect Redemption, Propitiation, and Satisfaction for All the Sins of the whole World, both Original and Actual.

And the same is to be met with in the common Catechism, as the most plain sense of the second part of the Creed, wherein it is proposed to every one to believe in God the Son, who hath redeemed him and all Mankind; according to the Nicene Creed, who for us Men and for our Salvation, descended, &c. And in many other places of our public Liturgy; as in the Prayer of Consecration in the Sacrament:

O God! who didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the Cross for our Redemption, who made there, by his one Oblation of himself once offered, a full, perfect, and sufficient Sacrifice, Oblation, and Satisfaction for the Sins of the whole World.  And to every single Person to whom the Sacrament is administered, ’tis said, ‘The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee.’ And again, ‘His Blood which was shed for thee, preserve they Soul, &c.’

The Death of Christ therefore considered in it self must be a Price sufficient for All Men, if it was given for All. But the Scripture says plainly, That God gave his Son for the World, and lays a Condition thereon, not the Death of Christ, but the Faith of Man; and from thence Salvation is to follow conditionally: That the Son was so given, that whosoever believes in him shall be saved: But whether Men believe or not, God gave his Son for them, and through him offered Salvation on the Condition of Faith. Now that Men should perform this Condition, God does both command in his Word, and by the Grace of his Holy Spirit does actually excite and co-operate: So that if they do not believe, the fault may be in Men, and not in God: As on the contrary, if they do believe, that must be attributed to Divine Grace, and not to any Humane Virtue. Whence it is plain, that it was God’s Will and Design that Christ should die for All; though All, through their own unbelief and impenitency, do not from thence receive the fruits of salvation. But then there are some effects of this that do redound to All; as the Common Vocation; The Warnings and Encouragements, not only of the external Word, but of internal Grace too: And lastly, the General Resurrection of All. For because Christ by his Death and Resurrection did overcome Death, and rose again from the Dead; as the Apostle says, 1 Cor. 15.22. As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive. For the same Reason has Christ obtained to himself a Dominion over all men, because he died for All; as St. Paul has abundantly shown [Rom. 14:9; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15]. Which Places, as they sufficiently prove that Christ died singly for All, so they signify to us, that both the general Promises of Salvation to all Believers, with whatsoever is sufficient for common Grace, and also the Purpose of particular Election, and Grace effectually persevering; nay, and the Preparation and Foreknowledge of these, are all founded in the same Christ, and in his Death, fore-seen from all Eternity. So that out of the side of Christ’s dying upon the Cross, not only the Sacraments of the Church, but likewise all saving Goods and Graces must be understood to flow. And this Opinion is so manifest in the Scriptures, that Calvin has every where interpreted them of All. Thus upon Heb. 9.20 he says, that [Many] is taken for [All.] So again upon Rom. 5.18, 19. “It is certain,” says he, “that all Men do not receive Advantage from the Death of Christ, but then this is owing to their own Infidelity that hinders them (who was otherwise sufficiently rigid about Predestination) in explaining those very places, which others brought to take away the universality of Christ’s Death (as in some it is said that he died for Many). Which words do plainly enough favor the common Opinion. Therefore it must not be said, that this which is so clear in it self [that Christ died for all] ought to be explained from an extravagant and rigid Conception of Secret Predestination; but we are rather to interpret that Secret by a thing which is plain in itself; that so it may be truly consistent with what was rightly enough delivered in a common Saying of the Schools, That Christ died for All sufficiently; For the Elect and Believers effectually: Had they not corrupted their meaning by the following Hypothesis: The Death of Christ had been sufficient for All, if God and Christ had so intended.”

John Overall, “The Opinion of the Church of England Concerning Predestination,” in A Defence of the Thirty Nine Articles of the Church of England by John Ellis (London: Printed for H. Bonwicke, T. Goodwin, M. Wotton, S. Manship, and B. Tooke, 1700), 131-134.  [Some reformatting; some spelling modernized; italics original; marginal references cited inline; and underlining mine.]  [Excellent academic secondary source: Anthony Milton, The British Delegation and the Synod of Dort (1618-1619) (UK: The Boydell Press, 2005), 64-92.] [Original Latin edition first published in 1650.]

[Notes: 1) The predestinarian theology of Overall is disputed. It is sometimes alleged that he embraced the  theology of Peter Baro.  2) On the contrary, in these articles, Overall does seem intent on walking a middle way between extreme predestinarian views, on the one hand, and those who would ground predestination upon simple divine foreknowledge, on the other. 3) It is quite probable that sources such as Wiki have it wrong on this point (cf. Milton). However, at the end of the day, even if it were established that Overall truly supported the theology of Peter Baro, the information and comments in this excerpt are of such value that their inclusion here in this file is worth-while. 4) To that end, the reader should note a) the confessional opinion of the Reformation church of England; b) the stated position of Calvin; and c) the reference to hypothetical sufficiency, as opposed to an actual sufficiency as defined in the Augustinian tradition.]

[Thanks to Tony for the transcription and to Chris for the heads-up.]

Knox:

LIMITED ATONEMENT

Substitution in sin-bearing is the center of the New Testament doctrine of the Atonement, as well as the Old Testament adumbration of it. A Realization of this makes impossible the concept that Christ’s redeeming work is continuing in Heaven now, or that we can join our obedience to his as part of the act of redemption.

On the other hand, there is a way of viewing Christ’s satisfaction for sin which limits it in extent, so that Christ’s atonement is not co-extensive with humanity, but is limited to those elect of God only. However, that the work of Christ extends uniformly to the whole of humanity becomes clear when it is considered under the following heads:

(a) The Incarnation. When Christ rook man’s nature in the womb of the blessed virgin, he rook the nature which all men share, and not the nature of the elect only.

(b) Christ’s Perfect righteousness. When Christ lived a life of perfect obedience to the law of God, he fulfilled the obligation which rests on all men equally, and nor an obligation which the elect alone have.

(c) Christ’s Victory. When our Lord overcame all the wiles of the devil and bound the strong man, he overcame the common enemy of mankind, and not the enemy of the elect only.

(d) Christ’s Bearing of the Curse. When our Lord, through his death on the cross, became a curse, he bore the curse which God threatens against all breakers of his covenant, and nor the curse which is particularly applicable to the elect.

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Ball:

But after one of the Lords whispered with Mr Montague, he confessed, as for Arminius, he had never read him; and that he had writ some things negligently in that book; which he never thought would have bin so scanned among friends; and therefore promised to write another book in butter & honey, and therein more exactly for to acquit himself.

Some of the Lords proposed that, instead of this book which Mr Montague promised to write, the Synod of Dort might be received & established as the doctrine of the church of England, seeing there was nothing there determined but what our delegates approved. But Dr. White opposed this mainly; for, said he, the church of England, in her catechism, teaches to believe in God the Son, who redeemed me and all mankind, which that Synod did deny.

Dr. Preston answered, that by redemption there was only meant the freeing of mankind from that inevitable ruin the sin of Adam had involved them in, and making them savable upon conditions of another covenant. Jon 3:16, 17. So that now salvation was not impossible, as it was before the death of Christ; but might be offered unto any man, according to the tenor of that commission, Mark 16:15, 16. This could not however be applied unto the Devils, for they were left in that forbore condition whereunto their sin & disobedience put them, Heb. 2:16, and 2 Pet. 2:4. On the other hand, the jailer, Acts 16:24, 27. was a boisterous, bloody fellow, yet Paul made no doubt to tell him, verse 31. that, if he believed in the Lord Jesus, he should be saved with his house. But Dr. White would in no sort admit this, but affirmed earnestly that Christ dyed for all alike in God’s intention and decree; for Cain as well as Abel; for Saul as well as David; for Judas as much as Peter; for the reprobate & damned in Hell as well as for the elect and saints in Heaven.

To which Dr. Preston answered, that there was a special salvation offered to believers, 1 Tim. 4:10. That Christ was indeed a ransom for all, 1 Tim. 2:6. yet the Savior only of his body, Ephes. 5:23. That he redeemed all, but called, justified, and glorified, whom he knew before, & had predestinated to be formable to the image of his son, Rom. 8:29, 30. That to whom in this sense Christ was given, to them were given also all things appertaining unto life and Godliness, 2 Pet. 1:3. As faith, 2 Pet. 1:1; Phil. 1:29; Ephes. 2:8. Repentance, Acts 2:18; 2 Tim. 2:25. A new heart, Ezek. 36:26. His Spirit, Gal. 4:5, 6. So that nothing can be charged on them, Rom. 8:31. 32, 33, 34. So that they can never perish nor be taken out of Christ’s hand, Jon. 10:28, 29, 30. But as they are begotten again unto a lively hope, 1 Pet. 1:3, so they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, verse 5. Whereas Judas was lost, Jon 17:12. and is gone to his own place. Acts 1:25.

And there are many nations and people of the world, that have no outward offer made unto them in the Gospel, Psal. 147:19, 20; Acts 16:6, 7. And those that enjoy the means of grace, have not all hearts given them to understand and believe it, Deut. 29:2, 3, 4; Isaiah 6:9, 10; Mat. 13:13, 14, 15. and therefore they are lost, 2 Cor. 4:3, 4. and are damned. 2 Thess. 2:10, 11, 12. He showed them, in Adam all men were lost, Rom. 5:12. and none recovered but by Christ; therefore, such as had not Christ’s intercession could not recover; That Christ prayed but for some, Jon. 17:9. and therefore none but such only could be saved, Heb. 9:15.

Dr. White acknowledged there was a difference; for, though all had so much as by good improvement might serve their turn, yet the elect had more, for God abounded towards them, Ephes.1:8, 9; Rom. 5:15, 17, 20. Thus, by example, all the troop have horses, but the officers have better; two travelers have staves to leap over a ditch, yet the one a stronger and better than the other; the worst men had grace enough to keep corruption & the evil of their nature down, but the elect such as would doe it easily. Christ had tasted death for every man; Heb. 2. 9. he died for those who might notwithstanding perish, 1 Cor. 8:11. and bought those that yet might bring upon themselves swift damnation, 2 Pet. 2:1. because they did not husband and improve the favor offered to them.

Dr Preston answered that Christ was in himself sufficient to save all; and might be said to be provided for that end and use; as a medicine is to cure infected persons, though it cures none actually but those that drink it. “Habet in se quod omnibus prosit, sed, si non bibitur, non,” as in 1 Jon. 5:11, 12. But many did not thus apply Christ, because they had him not so offered and exhibited as others had, Mat. 1:21; Luke 10:13. for God gave some faith and repentance, as I have showed. The serpent (Moses was commanded to make), was in itself sufficient to cure those that were bitten, Numb. 21:8, 9. yet cured none but only those who looked on it. “So, as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wilderness, shall the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” John 3:14, 15.

Thomas Ball, The Life of the Renowned Doctor Preston, (Oxford: Parker and Co., 1885), 130-136. [Some spelling modernized; some reformatting; and underlining mine.]

à Lasco:

We are also taught by this same name of Jesus that he, who in this manner was conceived and born of the virgin mother by Divine power, is truly that which is proclaimed, namely, the true and all sufficient savior of the entire world, except where someone would voluntarily despise him and his benefits through an obstinate and absolutely rebellious impiety, and thus, drive him from himself. To this, indeed, all Angels, Prophets, and Apostles unanimously testify (Mt. 1; Acts 1; Isa. 53). Thus, they, who establish or look for other saviors of some kind or patrons of their salvation, apart from this Jesus, the son of the virgin Mary, or along with him, do not really know the name of Jesus in that Ecclesiastical faith. There is, indeed, no other name under heaven, in which we must be saved (Acts 4). . . .

The Church of Christ is the assembly of those men along with their offspring who were called and are yet to be called from the remaining multitude of men in the entire earth. They have been called from our first parent Adam and will so continue to be called by the voice of God, delivered through Angels, Prophets, Christ, and his Apostles. until the consummation of the world. They believe and profess either publicly or privately, by mouth, by the observance of ceremonies instituted by Christ. and by the performance of duties as each calling requires, that Jesus is truly the son of that Virgin Mary, that is man from man, namely from the virgin mother; that he was conceived and born by the action of the Holy Spirit as our brother in the flesh and, thus, was precisely able to die in our place for our sins, and to be now in the society of our flesh the all sufficient savior of the entire world; that he is also equally God, and that none is savior except God himself. Next, they believe and also profess that this Jesus is that true Christ who was continuously foretold by Angels and Prophetic teachers from the beginning of the world itself; that he is that one, supreme and eternal King, Prophet, and High Priest for the entire world, who shall have dispelled and utterly abolished all types of carnal law by the light of his advent. Finally, they believe and profess that same Jesus Christ to be true, natural, and only begotten Son of God the Father, begotten from God the Father himself in the same existence of his Divinity, just as the man consented to be conceived and born from man, namely from the virgin mother, that he might be and atone for the sin of the entire world; he is to be praised along with the Father and Holy Spirit, the one true God in heaven. Amen.
John à Lasco, “The Compendium of Doctrine Of the One True Church of God and Christ,” in Reformed Confessions of the 16th and 17th Centuries in English Translation, ed. James T. Dennison, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Reformation Heritage Books, 2008), 1:563 and 576-577. [underlining mine.]

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