Aquinas:

I answer that, He properly atones for an offense who offers something which the offended one loves equally, or even more than he detested the offense. But by suffering out of love and obedience, Christ gave more to God than was required to compensate for the offense of the whole human race. First of all, because of the exceeding charity from which He suffered; secondly, on account of the dignity of His life which He laid down in atonement, for it was the life of one who was God and man; thirdly, on account of the extent of the Passion, and the greatness of the grief endured, as stated above (46, 6). And therefore Christ’s Passion was not only a sufficient but a superabundant atonement for the sins of the human race; according to 1 John 2:2: “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 3, Q 48.2.

Wolfgang Musculus

Calvin’s esteem of Musculus:

LETTER 191 TO WOLFGANG MUSCULUS
ANXIETY REGARDING THE CHURCHES OF
GERMANY —
ADVICE TO MUSCULUS. GENEVA,
21st April 1547.

…Adieu, most upright brother, and one dear to me from the bottom of my heart, as also your fellow-ministers, all of whom you will very affectionately salute in my name. May the Lord Jesus be present with you, guide you by his Spirit, and bless your holy labors. You will also convey to your family my best greeting. — Yours, John Calvin

LETTER 255 TO WOLFGANG MUSCULUS
PROHIBITION OF THE VAUDOIS CONFERENCES — REMONSTRANCES ON THE INTOLERANCE OF THE BERNESE MINISTERS TOWARDS THOSE OF FRANCE.
GENEVA, 28th Nov. 1549.

…From my confidence in your friendship, I expostulate the more freely with you and my friend Haller. For I am persuaded that some things which trouble me are displeasing to you also. But however that may be, I hope you will put a just and friendly interpretation on these complaints. Adieu, most excellent and accomplished man, and my revered brother in the Lord. May God keep you and your family, and be ever present with you and guide you! — Yours, John Calvin.

Brief Biography:

Wolfgang Musculus, born in a small town of Lorraine, and of an obscure family, raised himself by his talents, and the varied range of his accomplishments, to a place among the most distinguished men of his time. He cultivated with success music, poetry, and theology; was converted to the gospel in a convent by the perusal of the writings of Luther; gained the friendship of Capito and Bucer, and quitted Strasbourg in 1531, with a view to the discharge of the functions of the ministry in the church of Augsbourg. Driven from that city in 1548, by the proclamation of the Interim, he withdrew at first to Zurich, and afterwards to Berne, where he died in 1563. His numerous manuscripts, as well as those of Abraham Musculus his son, are reserved in the Library of Zoffingue. — Melch. Adam, Vitoe Theol. Germ., page 367.

Richard Muller:

Wolfgang Musculus (1497-1663); studied in the Benedictine monastery near Lixheim; advocated reformed after reading early tracts by Luther and fled the monastery in 1518. From 1529 to 1531 he studied at Strasbourg and was a preacher in Augsburg from 1531 to 1548. Forced out of Germany by the Augsburg Interim (1548) he went to Switzerland and was appointed professor of theology in Bern (1549), a post he held until his death. Major dogmatic work: loci communes sacrae theologiae (1560). Richard Muller, Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics, 1:41 (first edition).

Augustine Marlorate:

For more material from Musculus, see the Augustine Marlorate file.

Sins of the world:

Secondary source:

1)He has born the sins of all men, if we consider his sacrifice according to the virtue of it in itself, and think that no man is excluded from the grace but he that refuses it. “So God loved he world, that he gave his only begotten Son, to the end that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life;” John 3:16. But if we respect those which do so believe and are saved; so he has born only the sins of many. Wolfgang Musculus, Comment, in Esaiam. [liii.5.], cited by Joseph Hall, “Via Media: The Way of Peace,” in The Works of the Right Reverent Joseph Hall, (New York, Ames press, 1969), 9:510.

Primary source:

1) We have spoken in the places before, of the grace of God, of the redemption of mankind, appointed to us from everlasting in Christ, and perfected these latter times, and also of the incarnation of the word: now we must proceed by degree to his dispensation. And I do not speak of the dispensation whereby Christ in his flesh executed the will of his Father in offering himself for us but of the same whereby salvation is gotten & communicated unto the world, that we may be made partakers of it. The grace of God is ready and set forth open to all the whole world, even as the benefit of the sun casting our heat & brightness everywhere, is read unto all. But it is necessary, that the same which is so ready & at hand for all men, be profitably received. To this purpose serves the dispensation of the purchased & prepared salvation. Two things do belong unto a redeemer. The one is to redeem: the other, is to dispense or bestow the grace of this redemption. Without this dispensation a man cannot attain unto the end & prick of the appointed redemption. Nor it is not a perfect redemption, unless the fruit of it do stretch unto them which be redeemed, & so take his effect. Indeed the grace of itself is a perfect, & the work of redemption perfect, which was made absolute & consummate by one oblation upon the cross: but for as much as the same perfection whereby the justice of God is satisfied for the sins of the whole world, is appointed unto the fruit of our salvation, it is rightly deemed imperfect, unless, it do reach unto this appointed end, although it be never so full & consummate, in itself. Wherefore the very necessity of the persevering & fulfilling of our redemption, & the counsel & purpose of God’s grace, did not require this only, that he should be offered as an expiatory, perfect & sufficient host for our sins, but that the grace of the redemption gotten by this oblation, should be communicated amongst wretched sinners, & obtain his effect by virtue of the dispensation. Wolfgangus Musculus, Common Places of Christian Religion, trans., by Iohn Merton (London: Imprinted by Henry Bynneman, 1578), 331.

2) The Schoolmen do call Satisfaction the work of Penance, enjoined by the Priest after the Auricular confession. And here they make much ado, that the satisfaction on be neither less nor lighter than countervailing the weight of the sin. This doctrine of satisfaction does exceedingly darken the clearness of the grace of Christ: it does make men’s conscience either falsely assured, when they suppose that they have satisfied: either it does piteously torment them, when they cannot tell by what time they have satisfied in the sight of God for one sin: much less all their sins. Besides that it has opened not one gap but all doors, windows, arches, &c., to the Popes market, to gain pagan pardons; and for the traffic of Priests masses, to deliver souls out of Purgatory. Wherefore all godly do worthy abhor it. The doctrine of the Gospel does denounce unto us pardon of our sins, by the blood of Christ, by the shedding whereof, there is satisfaction made, not only for ours, but for the sins also of the whole world. Wolfgangus Musculus, Common Places of Christian Religion, trans., by Iohn Merton (London: Imprinted by Henry Bynneman, 1578), 528-529.

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“A certain creditor,” it says, “had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty” [St. Luke 7:41]. 24. Who are those two debtors if not the two peoples, the one from the Jews, the other from the Gentiles, beholden to the Creditor of the heavenly treasure? It says, “The one owed five hundred pence, the other fifty” [St. Luke 7:41]. Extraordinary is that penny on which the King’s image is written, which bears the imprint of the Emperor [cf. St. Mark 12:15-16]. To this Creditor we owe not material wealth, but assays of merits, accounts of virtues, the worth of which is measured by the weight of seriousness, the likeness of righteousness, the sound of confession. Woe is me if I do not have what I have received, truly, because only with difficulty can anyone pay off the whole debt to this Creditor; woe is me if I do not ask, “Remit my debt.” For the Lord would not have taught us so to pray that we ask for our sins to be forgiven [cf. St. Matthew 6:12] if He had not known that some would only with difficulty be worthy debtors [cf. St. Luke 11:4]. 25. But which is the people which owes more if not we by whom more is believed? God’s words were believed by them [cf. Romans 3:2], but His Virgin Birth by us. Ye have the talent [cf. St. Matthew 25:15], the Virgin Birth; ye have the hundredfold fruit of faith [cf. St. Matthew 13:8]. Emmanuel was believed, God with us [cf. St. Matthew 1:23]; the Cross, the Death, the Resurrection of the Lord were believed. Although Christ suffered for all, yet He suffered for us particularly, because He suffered for the Church. Therefore, there is no doubt that he who has received more, owes more [cf. St. Luke 12:48]. And according to me, perhaps he who owed more offended more, but through the Lord’s mercy, the case is changed, so that he who owed more loves more, if he nevertheless attains Grace. For he who gives it back possesses Grace, and he who possesses it repays, insofar as he possesses, for the possession consists in the repayment and the repayment in the possession. 26. And, therefore, since there is nothing which we can worthily repay to God–for what may we repay for the harm to the Flesh He assumed, what for the blows, what for the Cross, the Death, and the Burial? Woe is me if I have not loved! I dare to say that Peter did not repay and thereby loved the more; Paul did not repay–he, indeed, repaid death for death, but did not repay other debts, because he owed much. I hear himself saying, because he did not repay, “Who hath given to Him first, that he might be recompensed again?” [Romans 11:35]. Even if we were to repay cross for Cross, death for Death, do we repay that we possess all things from Him, and by Him, and in Him [cf. Romans 11:36]? Therefore, let us repay love for our debt, charity for the gift, grace for wealth; for he to whom more is given loves more [cf. St. Luke 7:42-43].”

Saint Ambrose of Milan, Exposition of the Holy Gospel According to Saint Luke, trans. Theodosia Tomkinson (Etna: Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies, 1998), 201-202.

Credit to Tony and Curt Daniel.

Preston:

Again, this mus be marked that I say , you must take or receive him: you must not only believe that he is the Messiah, and that he is offered, but there is a taking and receiving that is necessary to make you partakers of that that. is offered, Those words, John 3 make it plain; God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, &c. Giving is but Relative, it implies that there is a receiving or taking required: for when Christ is given, unless he be taken by us, he doth us no good, he is not made ours. If a man be willing ling to give another any thing, unless he take it, it is not his. It is true indeed, there is a sufficiency in Christ to save all men, and he is that great Physician that heals the souls of men; there is righteousness enough in him to justify all the world; but, my Beloved; unless we take him, and apply him to ourselves, we can have no part in that righteousness: this is, plainly expressed in Mat. 22. where it is said the King sent forth his servants to bid men to the Marriage of his son. And so in Ephes. 5. the same similitude and comparison is used by the Apostle, where he setteth forth the union that is between Christ and the Church, by that union there is between the Husband and the Wife. Put the case, that an Husband should offer himself to a woman to marry her, and he should believe it; yet unless there a taking of him on her part, the match is not made; and for it is here and in this thing the essence of faith consists, when Christ offers himself unto you, you must believe that there is such a thing, and that God intendeth it really, but it is the taking that consummates the marriage; and when the Wife hath taken the Husband, then all that is his is hers, she hath an interest in all his goods: so also it is here; there must be a believing that Christ is offered, that he is the Messiah, and that there is a righteousness in him to save us; but that is not enough, we must also take him, and when that is done, we are justified, then we are at peace with God.

John Preston, The Breast-Plate of faith and Love, (London: Printed by George Purstow, and are to be sold in the Companie of the Stationers, 1651), 43-44.