Cap. 4 Mem. 3: Fathers on ‘pro’; dual respect of the death; conditional decree for all

From the Scriptures let us descend to the Fathers. It is plain among them that this proposition, Christ died for these human beings, does not avail in the same way as this, Christ will by his death save these human beings infallibly. We will be content with a few testimonies, because the matter is most well known to those who are even moderately versed in the Fathers’ writings. Ambrose, on Psalm 118, affirms that Christ suffered for all, and yet at once adds that those who do not believe in Christ defraud themselves of this general benefit. Therefore for Ambrose, Christ suffering for someone, and deciding by his passion that someone is to be saved infallibly, do not sound the same. Prosper, to the Chapters of the Gauls, reply 6: Most rightly is the Savior said to have been crucified for the redemption of the whole world. Yet the same affirms, Sentence 9, that although Christ’s blood is the price of the whole world, yet those are strangers from this price who, delighted with their captivity, were unwilling to be redeemed. So that of these it is rightly said, The Redeemer of the world gave his blood for the world, and the world was unwilling to be redeemed — to the Chapters of the Gauls, reply 9. Therefore with Prosper these two are not counted as of equal force: Christ was crucified for these, and Christ will procure that these be saved infallibly. Theophylact on (Hebrews 2:9): God gave his Son to us unto death, not for the faithful only, but for the whole circle of the lands. For although not all are saved, yet he fulfilled what was of his office. From which words it is plain that for Theophylact it is not the same if someone has said, Christ was given by God that he might die for all, as if he had said, Christ by God’s absolute good pleasure will save all through his death. I pass over more testimonies.

Finally I add this. From the mere force of these words, Christ died for all, it cannot be inferred that Christ died for all in such a way that he absolutely decreed by this his death to work the salvation of all efficaciously and infallibly: because truly and properly he is said to die for someone who dies for procuring another’s good, even if that other by his own vice perceives no advantage thence. For the particle for denotes a respect to another in the will and intention of the one dying; but it does not perpetually and necessarily involve such a respect that no one is rightly said to die for another unless he has decreed by his death to free the other absolutely and infallibly from death. For what if under some condition he renders liberation from death possible for guilty human beings, which without his death was impossible? Is he not by this alone truly asserted dead for them? Ambrose asserts it, who writes that Christ came for the salvation of all, and undertook the redemption of all, inasmuch as he opened a remedy by which all could escape, although there are many who ascribe the causes of their death to themselves, because they were unwilling to be cured. We do not therefore deny that the particle for in the sacred Scriptures, when Christ’s death is treated, sometimes designates that special intention according to which liberation from death and transfer into life is infallibly destined for those for whom he is asserted dead: but that this is so perpetual or necessary that the truth of this assertion, Christ died for all, does not stand unless it is posited that he had that absolute intention of saving all — that at last we utterly deny. You see now that that secret and absolute good pleasure concerning saving human beings, according to the inscrutable order of predestination, is not necessary for this, that Christ be rightly and truly said to have suffered and died for all.

What then is necessary? I will say in few words. Since Christ’s death has a double respect, one to God, to whom this precious lytron was offered and paid, the other to human beings, for whom it was offered and paid: Christ is said to have suffered, been offered, or died for all, if by his death and passion it is established that he effected that God himself is understood otherwise disposed toward giving eternal life to all human beings than he would be without this death of Christ; and also if it is established that any human being has, by the virtue of Christ’s death, some right of claiming for himself remission of sins and eternal life, which with this death shut out he could in no way have or claim. Either of these clearly shows that the force of Christ’s death extends itself to the whole human race, and therefore that we speak neither falsely nor improperly when we say that Christ died for all human beings.

As to the former: It is certain that, with respect to Christ’s death, God’s will is now otherwise compared toward all and each human being than it would be without it. For by this very thing, that Christ in his human nature suffered death, without any other medium intervening, this at least has been effected with God, that he wills to be reconciled to any human being believing and penitent, to remit sins, to confer eternal life. Hence for Cain, if he has done well and repented, remission is prepared on God’s part (Genesis 4:7). Hence to any wicked person it is said in God’s own name, If he shall have turned from his sins, he shall altogether live, he shall not die (Ezekiel 18:21). Take away the respect of Christ’s death present to the Divine mind and embracing the human race, and nothing true, solid, or serious would underlie promises of this kind as to the non-elect. For the promise of conditioned remission ought to have its truth in Christ’s death no less than the remission itself which is granted when the condition is performed. Nor does anything avail to break this universal force which Christ’s death obtained with God, that no one of the non-elect fulfills that Evangelical condition of faith and penitence; for it is enough that by the force of Christ’s death, and of the Divine ordination stabilized through it, if the condition were fulfilled by any human being, the benefit of remission and eternal life would doubtless follow.

Now as to what looks to the latter: that also is certain and connected, that any human being can claim for himself this right by the benefit of Christ’s death, that if he has believed, at once all his sins are deleted, and he himself is adopted as heir of eternal life. For although, because of defect of the fulfilled condition, many cannot in fact claim these promised goods, yet there is no mortal who, if the condition had been fulfilled by him, would not have had them redound upon him from the force of Christ’s death. This conditioned decree of God stabilized by Christ’s death, and revealed in the Gospel — from which we understand that God by the virtue of Christ’s passion has obliged himself to give remission of sins and eternal life to every believer, and from which there has accrued a universal right not to these or those singular persons, but to any individual of the human race, of obtaining remission under the aforesaid condition — sufficiently suffices for this, that Christ be truly asserted to have suffered for all human beings. Nor is this conditioned decree firmed by Christ’s death and extended to all to be despised as a thing of nothing because the infallible fulfillment of the condition depends on another secret decree: since that secret decree, inasmuch as it embraces these or those singular persons, is utterly unknown to us, and therefore is scarcely to be preached to anyone by name; but this conditioned decree, which comprehends the whole human race, is to be announced to all and each, as the most solid foundation of our Evangelical doctrine, according to that of the Apostle (Romans 10:8–9, 11): This is that word of faith which we preach, namely, That if you shall have confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall have believed in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For the Scripture says, Whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. This benefit by the virtue of Christ’s death is exposed and obtainable to all human beings under the condition of faith; and in that respect Christ is affirmed dead for all.