Christ's death was meant for peace, yet curiosity turns it into dispute; both sides already grant a twofold consideration
It is indeed to be lamented, and deeply deplored, that by the misfortune or disease of our age it almost always happens that those mysteries of our religion which were published for the peace and comfort of souls are turned nearly into matter for litigation and fighting alone. Who would ever have thought that the death of Christ, appointed for establishing peace and for destroying enmities, as the Apostle speaks (Ephesians 2:14-17; Colossians 1:20-21), could become so fertile in breeding disputes? But this seems to come about by the innate curiosity of men, who are commonly more eager to pry into the secret counsels of God than to embrace the benefits publicly offered. Hence it happens that, by overmuch disputing for whom Christ died and for whom he did not die, little thought is given by each and all to applying the death of Christ to the salvation of our souls by true and living faith.
In treating this matter my purpose is to enter that path which composes quarrels rather than sows a quarrel upon a quarrel. Since, then, it is confessed among those who extend the death of Christ to each and every person that it is nevertheless applied, as to fruitful reception, to certain particular persons; and since, on the other side, those who restrict the same death to the elect alone still confess that it would profit all who are called — indeed all human beings, if they believed — each side seems to acknowledge a twofold consideration of the death of Christ. For by both it is considered as a universal cause of salvation applicable to each and every person if they believed, and as a special cause of salvation efficaciously applied to certain particular persons who have believed. If I treat the death of Christ under this twofold consideration, it will perhaps appear that in some of the points so fiercely contested there are different manners of speaking rather than discrepant judgments. I will therefore recall the matter to certain brief and clear theses: first those things which are to be set out concerning the death of Christ as a universal cause of salvation applicable to all; then I will add other theses concerning the death of Christ as a special cause of salvation efficaciously applied to some, or at least to be applied infallibly in its own time.
Latin
Dolendum profecto illud est et valde deplorandum, hujus nostri seculi sive infortunio sive morbo semper fere accidere, ut ea religionis nostrae mysteria quae sunt ad pacem et solatium animarum promulgata, in solam pene litigandi et pugnandi materiam vertantur. Quis unquam putasset Christi mortem paci sanciendae et perimendis inimicitiis destinatam, ut loquitur Apostolus, Ephes. ii. 14, 17, et Coloss. i. 20, 21, litibus pariendis tam foecundam fieri potuisse? Sed illud evenire videtur innata hominum curiositate, qui magis soliciti esse solent ut arcana Dei consilia scrutentur quam ut beneficia publice oblata amplexentur. Hinc fit, nimium altercando pro quibus Christus mortuus, pro quibus non mortuus statuatur, ut de Christi morte per veram et vivam fidem ad animarum nostrarum salutem nobis applicanda, ab omnibus et singulis parum cogitetur. Mihi in hoc negotio tractando animus est illam viam inire quae lites potius componat quam litem de lite serat. Cum igitur in confesso sit apud eos qui mortem Christi ad omnes et singulos diffundunt, illam tamen esse quoad fructuosam perceptionem ad certas quasdam personas applicatam; cumque e contra illi qui ad solos electos eandem restringunt, fateantur nihilominus illam omnibus vocatis, imo omnibus hominibus si crederent, profuturam; utraque pars duplicem mortis Christi considerationem videtur agnoscere. Ab utrisque enim consideratur ut universalis causa salutis omnibus et singulis applicabilis, si crederent, et ut specialis causa salutis certis quibusdam personis efficaciter applicata, qui crediderunt. Si de morte Christi sub duplici hac consideratione tractavero, apparebit fortassis in nonnullis de quibus acriter certatur diversos potius loquendi modos quam discrepantes sententias contineri. Revocabo igitur ad breves quasdam et perspicuas theses, primò ea quae de morte Christi ut universali causa salutis omnibus applicabili sunt edisserenda, dein adjungam et alias theses de morte Christi ut speciali causa salutis efficaciter quibusdam applicata, aut saltem suo tempore infallibiliter applicanda.
About this text
John Davenant — Dissertationes duae from the 1650 Cambridge Latin. Honest partial through De praedestinatione Cap. 1 subject tip; Cap. 1 mid-Thesis and remainder remain; De praedestinatione Cap. 1 Prolegomena IV distinguishing conditions tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Variae (Pelagian opening) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Scholastici / Vasquez Arg. 1 tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Arg. 2 praescientia tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Arg. 3 (1 Cor. 2:9) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Arg. 4 (2 Tim. 2:21) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Arg. 5 (1 Tim. 2:4) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Arg. 6 (James 2:5) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. II Arg. 7 (Apoc. 3:11) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 1 (common inefficacious will) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 2 (Vasquez physical vs moral media) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 3 (king/prize / victory foresight) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 4 (optimum modus / crown of justice) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 5 (acceptor personarum) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 6 (misericordia/congruitas) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 7 (equal disposition) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 8 (few saved / major part) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 9 (Stephen / glory from others' sins) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 10 (mere beneplacitum / Predestinati) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III reprobation ratio (foresight of sin) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 12 (efficacious election / free choice) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 13 (hortation/prayer) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. III Rat. 14 (decree/execution conformity) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. IV Arminianorum open tip; De praedestinatione Cap. IV Arg. 1 Sol tip; De praedestinatione Cap. IV Arg. 7 (τρόπος; Rom. 9:22) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. IV Arg. 8 (ordo exsecutionis) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. IV Arg. 9 (Christus fundamentum) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 1 (amor ad salutem) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 2 (actualis vitae datio) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 3 (qualis existens) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 4 (justitiae satisfactio) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 5 (natura vitae aeternae) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 6 (Christus a decreto) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 7 (Evangelium invertitur) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. V Obj. 8 (arcana/revelata) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI (Orthodoxa sententia) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 2 (gratia specialis) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 3 (Scripturae) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 4 (vocatio) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 5 (adjutorium) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 7 (inconveniens) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 8 (perseverantia) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 9 (unica ratio) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 10 (abyssus) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 11 (efficacia) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 12 (segregativum) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VI Arg. 13 (pura gratia) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VII open (reprobatio) tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VII Junius trifariam tip; De praedestinatione Cap. VIII open (adversariorum) tip; Cap. VIII peccata-causa tip; Cap. VIII fewer-reprobates tip; Cap. VIII Argentina tip; Cap. VIII dives-misericordia tip; Cap. VIII Corvinus tip into Cap. IX; Cap. IX Ab Adae tip; Cap. IX Ab Adae Christus omnibus+Minor tip; Cap. IX Arg. 3 Sol tip; Cap. IX vocatione Evangelica tip; Cap. IX vocatione Sol cont. tip; Cap. IX Arg. 6 Sol cont. tip.
English follows locked 1650 Cambridge Latin of De morte Christi Cap. 1-6 opening (origin + Thesis 1 + Cap. 2 Rat. 1-ultima + Cap. 3 Satisfit through Obj. 17 + Cap. 4 Thesis 2 tip through Mem. 1 close + Cap. 4 Mem. 2 through Mem. 3 tip + Cap. 4 Mem. 3 possible-faith through Thesis 2 close + Cap. 5 Thesis 3 tip through Mem. 2 Scripture close + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Rat. 1-4 + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Fathers tip + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Huberiana objections tip through Obj. 3 Solut close + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 elect-from-eternity objections tip through Obj. 3 Solut close + Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Scripture elect objections tip through Cap. 5 thesis close + Cap. 6 opening tip through Arg. 1 close before Arg. 2), reconstructed from the Internet Archive PDF (pdftotext + tesseract) of the Roger Daniel folio with DjVu OCR check. The 1683 reprint was not used as copy-text. No modern English was copied.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De morte Christi Cap. 1-5 densify through Cap. 5 Mem. 2 Fathers tip (Daniel 1650) (Latin)
- Print Facsimile Internet Archive PDF of the 1650 Cambridge folio (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive DjVu OCR of the 1650 Cambridge folio (Latin)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.