Archive for May 5th, 2009
[Note: this is not Desiderius Erasmus, Luther’s humanist opponent.]
Sins of the world:
1) For Saint John in his gospel begins thus of the second person, saying: “In the beginning was the Word,” &c, [John 1:1], whereunto Paul agrees in his epistle to the Philippians , where he writes: ‘Which when he was equal with the Father,” [Phil. 2]. Lo here he makes the same equal with the Father. Also Christ says himself: “I am my Father be one.” Now, to Adam promise was made of Christ in Gene. iii. To Abraham in Gene. xii, & xvii. To the other holy fathers the promises made be spread in sundry places of Scripture. The end of the promises is the redemption of mankind, Gene. iii. (Ipsum conteret caput tuum), that is to say: ‘That seed” (meaning Christ) “shall tread thee on thy head,” [Gen. iii.]. In Gene. xvii, to Abraham, he said: “In thy seed all nations shall be blessed,” [Ge. xvii]. The occasion of the redemption was the damnation gotten by the fall of the first parents. Of the manhood of Christ, teaches us the prophet Isaiah, saying: “Lo, a virgin shall conceive,” [Isa. vii]. Also in the epistle to the Hebrews, where it says: “In all things it became him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be merciful,” [Hebr. iia]. The common creed says: “Born of the virgin Mary,” which proves also the rest, how Christ suffered and was crucified. Also how he rose again, which was not only for this purpose, to take away the sins of the world, [Isa. liiia]. This was long before prophesied by Isaiah, which says: “But he was wounded for our wickedness: he was smitten for our offences.” And John in his Epistle says: “for the sins of the whole world,” [1 John a d]. And lest we should think that Christ has now fully executed his office, and has nothing a do, you shall wonder that “he sits on the right hand of God the Father, making intercession for us,” [ Rom. 8 f]. Erasmus Sarcerius, Common Places of Scripture, trans., Richard Tauerner (Imprinted at London by Nycolas Nyll for Abraham Vele, dwelling in Pauls church yarde at the signe of the Lambe, 1553), folios iiii b-va. [Some reformatting, some spelling modernized; marginal references cited inline; side-headers included; and underlining mine.]
2) The effects
or works
of Christ
The works or offices of Christ ought to be gathered of the whole Christ, which now sits on the right hand of God the Father, very God and man, the works of his mankind, as to eat, drink, sleep, wake and such like now that he is glorified he ceased, neither came Christ to the purpose that he should exercise them perpetually. But besides those effects and works of the manhood, there be yet other appertaining chiefly to our salvation, which shall endure perpetually: as to save the from their sins: “To take away the Sins of the world,” as John Baptist witnesses, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world.” To justify, as the Apostle Paul reads, saying: “Being justified of faith by Jesus Christ,” [Ro. v]. To satisfy for our sins [Isa. liii], to be a mercy stock for our sins, as John the apostle writes in his epistle [1 Joh. ia]. To be our mediator and peace maker: to become the priest and bishop for evermore [Gal. iii, Tim. ii, Psa. cix]. Erasmus Sarcerius, Common Places of Scripture, trans., Richard Tauerner (Imprinted at London by Nycolas Hyll for Abraham Vele, dwelling in Pauls church yarde at the signe of the Lambe, 1553), folio v a-b. [Some reformatting, some spelling modernized; marginal references cited inline; side-headers included; and underlining mine.]