N13864:482
A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of…
A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of divinity, in a method entirely new. / By the late Reverend Mr. Jonathan Edwards, president of the College of New Jersey[.]
Boston: printed by Draper & Folsom, 1782
A HISTORY Of the WORK of REDEMPTION. › Period 2 › Part 2 › Section 1
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
SECT I.
I WOULD show what is here intended by Christ's purchasing redemption. There are two things that are intended by it viz. his satisfaction, and his merit. All is done by the price that Christ lays down. But the price that Christ laid down does two things: it pays our debt, and so it satisfies: by its intrinsic value, and by the agreement between the Father and the Son, it procures a title to us for happiness, and so it merits. The satisfaction of Christ is to free us from misery, and the merit of Christ is to purchase happiness for us.
The word purchase, as it is used with respect to the purchase of Christ, is taken either more strictly or more largely. It is oftentimes used more strictly to signify only the merit of Christ; and sometimes more largely, to signify both his satisfaction and merit. Indeed most of the words which are used in this aff•ir have various significations. Thus sometimes divines use merit in this affair for the whole price that Christ offered, both satisfactory▪ and and also positively meritorious. And so the word satisfaction i• sometimes u•ed, not only for hi• propitiation, but also for his meritorious obedience. For in some sense, not only suffering the penalty, but positively obeying, is needful to satisfy the law. The reason of this various use of these terms seems to be, that satisfaction and merit do not differ so much really as relatively. They both consist in paying a valuable price, a price of infinite value; but only that price, as it respects a debt to be paid, is called satisfaction; and as it respects a positive good t be obtained, is called merit. The difference between paying a debt and making a positive purchase is more relative than it is essential He who lays don a price to pay a debt, does in sme sense mke a purchase: he purchases liberty from the obligation. And he who ys down a price to purchase a good, does as it were make satisfaction: he satisfies the conditional demands of him to whom he pays it. This may suffice concerning what is meant by the purchase of Christ.