Ainsworth:

Reprobation.

Opposite to election is reprobation, which is God’s decree, to leave some in their sin and misery, and for sin to damn them; or reprobation is God’s decree, to pass by some and not elect them, and to permit those to fall into sin, and to punish them eternally for sin.

Herein are two acts, 1. Negative: 2. Positive.

Negative, to refuse, or not elect: positive, to punish for sin: for that from which they are reprobate, is from grace and glory, and that whereto they are appointed, is damnation: the cause of non-electing, God’s just pleasure and will, Mat. 11, Rom. 9, without respect of good or evil in the creature; the cause of the second act (damnation) is man’s sin.

God is he that reprobates some sinners, Rom. 9: 18, 1 Thess. 5:9. This is also from eternity, Jud. 4 and many are passed by and reprobated, Mat. 20:16. The things whereof men are reprobate, are true faith, 2 Tim. 3:6, true sanctification, Tit. 1:16, eternal life, Act. 13:38, compared with 1 Thess. 5:9, and Jud. 4. The cause of punishing the wicked is their sin, for justice must needs respect the innocency, or guilt of the creature. The end of reprobation I properly God’s glory, Prov. 16:14.

The perdition of the reprobate is also the end, but by accident: unchangeable also is the decree of God [Isa. 46:10.]

Thus much of election and reprobation.

Henry Ainsworth, The Old Orthodox Foundation of Religion: Left for a Patterne To a New Reformation (London: Printed by E. Cotes, and are to be sold by Michael Spark at the Blue Bible in Green Arbour, 1653), 39-40.  [Some spelling modernized; some reformatting; italics original; and underlining mine.]

Goodwin:

I begin with Calvin himself, and humbly desire those that oppose his judgment and authority to obstruct the course of the doctrine avouched in this discourse, lest it should “run and be glorified” as truth ought to “be, to consider whether these passages and sayings next ensuing be with it and for it, or against it. “Although,” says he, “there is nothing to be found in the world worthy the favor of God, yet he shows himself propitious” or favorable “unto the whole world, in that he calls all men without exception to believe in Christ, which is nothing else but an entrance into life;”¹ with more to like purpose transcribed Chap. v. p. 142, of this discourse. Certainly if God’s calling of all men without exception to believe in Christ be a sufficient argument or sign of his propitious and favorable inclination towards them, he must needs really intend the grace or good of salvation unto them; otherwise his calling of them to believe, as, namely, if it should be accompanied with a purpose or intent in him, either simply to destroy them, or to increase their destruction, would rather argue his hatred than any propitiousness of affection towards them. And if God intends the salvation of all men without exception, certainly he hath provided salvation in Christ for them all. Elsewhere the same author says, that “Although Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world, and be through the kindness or good will” “Of God indifferently offered unto all. men, yet all men. do not receive” or take hold on him.”² See this, and much more cited from him of like notion, Chap. vi. p. 176. In another place he discourses thus: “Inasmuch as the utmost end of a blessed life stands in the knowledge of God, that the entrance” or access “unto blessedness might not be shut up against any man, God hath not only implanted in the minds of men that which we call the seed of religion, but hath also manifested himself in the whole fabric” or workmanship “of the world after such a manner, and offers himself daily so plainly” or openly unto men “that they cannot open their eyes, but they must needs behold him.”³ If God provides that the passage or way unto happiness may be open for every man. or, which is the same, obstructed or shut up against no man, doubtless there is happiness, and consequently salvation, provided in, or procured by Christ for every man. For there is no way or access for any man unto happiness but by Christ; no, nor yet by Christ himself except only for those whose sins are atoned by him. Of like import with the former is that saying also: “The fuller and more comprehensive sense is this, that God was in Christ; and then, that by his intercession he reconciled the world unto himself.”⁴ Questionless if an expositor of Scripture meets with a figurative term or expression, I mean so apprehended by him, in the text which is before him, and which he is about to open, it is very improper for him to use the same word in the same figurative or improper sense in his exposition, especially without giving any notice of the figurativeness of it, or substituting a word of a more plain and ready signification for the explaining of it. Therefore, if Calvin, by the word “world,” 2 Cor. v. 19, understood the elect of God only, dispersed up and down the world, he would not in his exposition have used the same word to express them, especially without the help of some other, one or more, of a more plain and known signification in that kind. So that there is not the least question but that he, both in the text mentioned, as likewise in his Commentaries upon it, understood the word “world,” in the ordinary and best known signification” of it, i. e. for the generality or universality of men. Upon the same Scripture afterwards he demands, “For what purpose did God appear unto men in Christ. He answers and says,” For reconciliation, that enmities being taken out of the way, those that were estranged” from him “might be adopted for sons.” Now they that were estranged from God were not the elect only, but the whole universe of mankind with them. Therefore according to the express import of this piece of commentary, God designed in Christ the adoption of all men without exception for sons. Nor doth he any whit less than confirm the same doctrine in saying, that ” As by the offence of one Adam, judgment or guilt came upon all men to condemnation: so by the righteousness of one Jesus Christ, the gift or benefit of God abounded unto all men to the justification of life.”⁵ He speaks likewise to the heart of the cause we plead, when he terms that saying of the apostle, 1 Cor. viii. 11, “A memorable saying, whereby we are taught of how great an account the salvation of the brethren ought to be with us ; and not only the salvation of them altogether, but of every one of them apart, inasmuch as the blood of Christ was shed for every one of them.”⁶ By “brethren,” it is evident that he cannot mean only such who are elect, or predestinated unto salvation. 1. Because he speaks of all that profess Christianity, or that are members of any Christian church, amongst whom it is the known judgment of this author that there still are many hypocrites, and such who will not in fine be saved. 2. The elect, in his sense, I mean such who come at last to be actually saved, cannot be certainly known or discerned from others beforehand. Therefore this consideration, that Christ hath shed his blood for a man, can be no argument or motive at all unto me to regard his salvation the more, since it is impossible for me to know whether Christ hath shed his blood for him or no. His meaning then, when he says that the blood of Christ was shed for every particular person of the brethren, must needs be that it was shed as well for those who will not be saved by it as for those that will. See before upon this account, Chap. viii. p. 191. And doth he not yet further plead the cause of the same doctrine with us when he says, that “Since Christ will have the benefit of his death common unto all men, they do him wrong” or are injurious unto him “who by any opinion of theirs, restrain” or keep back “any man from the hope of salvation?“⁷ Take this passage of his also into the account: “This is a marvelous love” of his “towards mankind, that he is willing to have all men saved, yea, and is ready to gather into salvation such as are perishing of their own accord. But the order here is to be observed, viz. that God is ready” or prepared ” to receive all men unto” or upon “repentance, lest any man should perish.”⁸ In the heads of accord between him and the ministers of the Tigurine church, about the Sacrament, he says, speaking of Christ, that “He is to be considered as a sacrifice of expiation, by which God is appeased or pacified “towards the world.”⁹ In the Geneva Catechism, he teaches all those that are to be catechized to look upon Christ as “salutem mundi,” “the salvation of the world,” yea, and to own him and believe in him, “as their surety, who hath undergone that judgment which they deserved, that he might render them free from guilt;¹⁰ with much more of like consideration. So that unless it be supposed, that Christ died for all such persons without exception, who should be persuaded and brought to learn and use this catechism, it will apparently follow, that the composer of it, and all parents and others that shall put their children or other persons upon the learning and pronouncing the words hereof, shall put them upon the speaking and professing those things, and that as matters of. their Christian faith, of the truth whereof they have no sufficient ground or assurance; yea, and which are much more likely to be false than true. For if Christ died for the elect only, i. e. only for such who in the event will be saved, these being but few, in comparison of those who will perish, evident it is, that; speaking of particular persons before they believe savingly, or to justification, it is more likely they will perish than that they will be saved; or, however, there is no sufficient ground to judge of” them, or of any particular person of them by name, before they believe, that they are elected; or, consequently, that Christ was their surety, or died to free them from the guilt of sin. And if so, then they that are taught to say and profess, as an article of their Christian faith, that Christ died to save them, are put upon it, or tempted to profess that, as an article of their religion, which they have no rational or competent ground to believe to be so much as a truth. Yea, the clear truth is, that the opinion, which denies the redemption of all men, without exception, by Christ, puts all our ordinary catechisms to rebuke, as being snares and temptations upon all, or the greatest part of those who use them, to pretend a belief or confident persuasion of such a thing, which they have more cause to suspect for an error than to embrace as a truth. This by the way. If the reader, to those passages lately insisted upon from the undoubted writings of Mr. Calvin, will please to add those other, from the same pen, formerly mentioned,¹¹ which, though produced, happily, upon somewhat a more particular occasion respectively, yet speak, for substance, the same thing, he will, I presume, acknowledge, that which hath in effect been already said, that Calvin was not so far an enemy to general redemption, but that, without straining either his judgment or conscience, he did upon all occasions reconcile himself” unto it, yea, and bottomed many carriages and passages of discourse upon it.

Read the rest of this entry »

[comments below]

Baxter:¹

1) Prop. XL. Faith is a fruit of the Death of Christ, (and so is all the good which we do enjoy): But not directly as it is a Satisfaction to justice; but only Remotely, as it proceeds from that jus Dominii which Christ has received, to send the Spirit in what measure and to whom he will, and to succeed it accordingly; and as it is necessary to the attainment of the further ends of his Death, in the certain gathering and saving of the Elect. So that most directly it flows from the good pleasure of God and the Redeemer, which we call Predestination. So that is is an unmeet Speech (and such as Scripture never uses) to say, that [Christ died to purchase us Faith] though it be a Fruit of his Purchase. As if a Prince should Ransom or Buy a condemned Malefactor, agreeing and resolving that yet he shall not be saved, if he will spit in his Redeemers Face and refuse him and his kindness. And if it be known that this Malefactor is so desperately wicked, that he will thus reject and abuse his Redeemer and refuse his kindness, except the Prince send a bosom Friend to persuade him, who is the most powerful and irresistible Orator in the World: If the Prince because he is resolved neither to lose the Man, nor his Price of Ransom, doth send this Orator with a Charge that he shall take no denial, nor cease till he have procured the Malefactors consent; is it a convenient Speech to say, that he gave his Ransom Money to purchase the Malefactors consent to be delivered? Or to cure his wicked nature? No: Yet it is true that his Price was a ground-work and Preparative to this effect; so is it in our present Case. Richard Baxter, Universal Redemption of Mankind by the Lord Jesus Christ, (London: Printed for John Salusbury at the Rising Sun in Cornhill, 1694), 42-43. [Some spelling modernized; italics original; bracketed inserts original; and underlining mine.]                                                                                      [Credit to Tony for this find.]

2) The second Argument against Universal Satisfaction answered.

Arg. II, Christ hath purchased Faith infallibly to be given to all that he died (or satisfied) for: But Christ hath not purchased Faith infallibly to be given to all men, but only to the Elect, Therefore Christ died not for all men, but only for the Elect.

The Major is thus proved. Christ hath purchased all things necessary to the Salvation of all he died for: But Faith infallibly to be given, is necessary to their Salvation, Ergo, &c.

The Major is thus proved, Christ is a perfect Savior to all those to whom he is a Savior or Redeemer: Therefore he hath purchased for them all things necessary to their Salvation. The Minor of the main Argument is proved by experience.

Ans. The Major is not true, nor can be proved from Scripture; but the contrary may abundantly be proved. The argument by which they would prove the Major, is sick of the same disease; viz. Its Major is false: and the Minor if not well explained is false too. To the Major I say,

First, Christ hath done all that belonged to him as a Redeemer by dying, or as a Satisfier, or all that for which properly an expiatory Sacrifice was required, far all those for whom he died: But I shall anon show that the thing in question is not such.

Secondly, Christ did not purchase all things necessary to Salvation, for all that he died for: I wait the proof of the affirmative. In the mean time I mind the arguers, that themselves confess.

1. He did not purchase Predestination.

2. Nor that Love which caused God to send Christ.

3. Nor Creation and our Natural Being.

4. Nor his own Death and Merits: He purchased not these for any man.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hooper:

Extracts From a Brief and Clear Confession of the Christian Faith, Contained in an Hundred Articles According to the Order of the Apostles Creed,¹ Written by that Learned and Godly Martyr John Hooper.

X. I believe, that this corruption of nature, otherwise called original sin, is the fountain and root of all other sins for which all the miseries and adversities that we endure in this present life, as well in body as soul, do come unto us ; yea, and in the end double death, that is to say, both of body and soul. These are the fruits and rewards of sin. But although the same are due and common to all men generally, nevertheless, the Lord through his mercy hath reserved to himself a certain number (which are only known to himself,) which he hath drawn from this corrupt heap, and hath sanctified and cleansed the same in the blood of his Son Jesus Christ, and by means thereof hath made them vessels of election and honor, apt unto all good works.

XIV. I believe and confess Jesus Christ to be the fullness, the end, and accomplishment of the law, to the justification of all that believe, through whom and by whom only, all the promises of the Father are accomplished, yea even to the uttermost. Who also alone hath perfectly satisfied the law in that which no other amongst men could perform; as the law doth command things impossible, which nevertheless man must accomplish, not by working, but through believing. For so is the law accomplished through faith, and not through works ; and by this means shall man find the righteousness of faith to be available before the Lord, and not the righteousness of works, which leads nothing unto perfection.

XX. I believe, that the same Jesus Christ is verily Christ; that is to say, the Messiah anointed by the Holy Ghost, because he was the very King, the Prophet, and great Sacrificer, that should sacrifice for all that believe: which also is promised in the law, and is the same of whom all the prophets have spoken. This anointing of Christ is not corporeal, of a material and visible oil, as was that of the kings, priests, and prophets in times past: but it is spiritual, of an invisible oil, which is the grace and gifts of the Holy Ghost, wherewith he is replenished above all others. So that this anointing is descended even unto us, who have felt and proved the sweetness thereof: and by it also we bear the name of Christians, that is to say, ‘anointed.’

XXI. I believe, that this sacrificing of Jesus Christ was not levitical or carnal, to immolate, offer up, and to sacrifice beasts, kine, and other sensible things, as Aaron and his successors did; but spiritual, to offer and sacrifice himself, that is to say, his body and blood, for the remission of the sins of the whole world. Even as likewise his kingdom is not of this world, carnal, but spiritual ; which consists in the guiding and governing of his own by his Holy Spirit, over whom he reigns by his word, and that for the destruction of all his adversaries, which are sin, death, hell, Satan, and all infidels, wicked, and reprobate.

XXV, I believe, that all this (the sufferings of Christ) was done, not for himself, who never committed sin, in whose mouth was never found deceit nor lie; but for the love of us poor and miserable sinners, whose place he occupied upon the cross, as a pledge, or as one that represented the person of all the sinners that ever were, now are, or shall be, unto the world’s end. And because they through their sins have deserved to feel and taste of the extreme pains of death, to be forsaken of God and of all creatures, and to feel the wrath and severe judgment of God upon them; Christ, who was their pledge, satisfying for them upon the cross, hath felt and endured all the same, and that altogether to make us free, to deliver us from all these pains, from the wrath and judgment of God, from condemnation and eternal death.

XXVI. I believe and consider this death and passion, even as I do all other mysteries of Jesus Christ, not only as touching the history, as a pattern and example to follow, as was that of the holy men and women who are dead for the Lord’s cause: but also principally as touching the cause, fruits, and uses thereof; thereby to know the greatness of my sins, the grace and mercy of the Father, and the charity of the Son, by whom we are reconciled unto God, delivered from the tyranny of the devil, and restored to the liberty of the Spirit. This is the glass without spot, to teach us to know our filthiness, the laver or clear fountain to wash and cleanse us, the infinite treasure to satisfy all our creditors: of whom and by whom only, the divine justice is fully satisfied for all the sins of all that have been, be now, or shall be, unto the end of the world. And therefore I do believe and confess, that Christ’s condemnation is mine absolution; that his crucifying is my deliverance; his descending into hell is mine ascending into heaven; his death is my life; his blood is my cleansing, by whom only I am washed, purified, and cleansed from all my sins. So that I neither receive, neither believe any other purgatory, either in this world or in the other, whereby I may be cleansed, but only the blood of Jesus Christ, by which all are purged and made clean for ever.

XXVII. I believe, that Jesus Christ, by the sacrifice of his body, which he offered upon the tree of the cross, hath defaced and destroyed sin, death and the devil, with all his kingdom; and hath wholly performed the work of our salvation, and hath abolished and made an end of all other sacrifices. So that from thenceforth there is no other propitiatory sacrifice, either for the living or the dead, to be looked for or sought for, than the same. For by this one only oblation hath he consecrated for ever all those that are sanctified.

John Hooper, Writings of Dr. John Hooper (London: Religious Tract Society, [1800s]), 417-420. [Some spelling modernized; footnote value modernized and footnote original; and underlining mine.]

[Notes: 1) The reader should keep in mind this is an extract from a later edition of Hooper’s Confession of Faith, and these sections on Christ’s person and work are published exactly as found in the Writings, as published by the Religious Tract Society. 2) No publishing date is specified in this work, nor does Worldcat supply one, other than, “1800s”.]

__________________

¹Having already inserted a confession of faith by bishop Hooper at length, only extracts from this second confession, which was a posthumous publication, are given in this collection.