Thomas Bilson on the Infinite Value of Christ's Death
As we are in Holy Week, preparing for the celebration of our Lord’s blessed Passion and Resurrection, I have decided to post an excerpt from Thomas Bilson’s work on the atonement, The Effect of Certain Sermons Touching the Full Redemption of Mankind by the Death and Blood of Christ Jesus. This work was originally published in 1599, although a portion of it was republished in the 19th-century Tracts of the Anglican Fathers series. A link will be posted below for those who would like to read the entire tract.1
The merit of Christ's suffering must be simply infinite, that it may work two things for us—to wit, redeem us from Satan, and reconcile us unto God; clear us from hell, and bring us to heaven; and in either respect it must be infinite. "The wages of sin is death," both of body and soul, here and for ever. With the Judge of the world is no unrighteousness; he, therefore, punisheth no man without cause, or above desert. Since the revenge of each man's sin is eternal, that is, infinite in time, the weight of each man's sin must needs be infinite, as being rewarded with everlasting death. It may seem much, to carnal men, that God should requite sin with ever-during revenge; but if we seriously bethink ourselves what it is for earth and ashes to wax proud against God, and, after so manifold and abundant blessings, to cast off his yoke, and readily, yea greedily, to prefer every vanity and fancy before his heavenly truth and glory, we shall presently perceive how just cause God hath infinitely to hate our uncleanness, and eternally to pursue the pride, contempt, and rebellion of wicked and wilful men against his Divine Majesty. Howsoever we digest it, it is a thing determined with God, and no doubt balanced in his upright and sincere judgment. "The soul that sinneth, that soul shall die." (Ezek. xviii.) Death and life are both eternal; that is, infinite in length, though not in weight; in durance, though not in degree and sense of joy or pain. Then, in either respect, to countervail our deliverance from hell, and our inheritance in heaven, the merit of Christ's suffering must be infinite; an infinite purchase cannot be made but with an infinite price.
For this infinite price, whither shall we seek? to the pains of hell, or to the powers of heaven? The pains of hell are neither meritorious nor infinite. What thanks with God to be separated from God? And the soul being alienated from God, what other part of man can merit his favour? "If any man fall away, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." (Heb. x.) Hell pains, therefore, are accursed, not accepted of God; and he that suffereth them is hated, and no way beloved. "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire." (Matt. xxv.) As they are not meritorious, no more are they infinite—I mean in weight—but they must everlastingly be suffered before they can be infinite; for not only devils, but men of all sorts shall suffer them, who cannot endure any infinite sense of pain. All creatures are finite, both in force to do and strength to suffer; infinite is as much as God himself hath; and, therefore, God alone is infinite: so that neither hell-fire is of infinite force to punish, nor men nor angels of infinite strength to suffer; but the vengeance of sin continueth for ever, by reason no creature is able to bear an infinite weight of punishment. Since, then, the pains of hell have neither worth nor weight sufficient in themselves to satisfy the anger and procure the favour of God, we must seek to heaven, even to God himself, for the true ransom for our sins and redemption of our souls; which we nowhere find but in the person of Christ Jesus, who, being true God, took our nature unto him, and by the infinite price of his blood bought us from the power of hell, and brought us unto God: for neither the virtues of Christ's human soul, though they were many, nor the sufferings of his flesh, though they were painful, are simply infinite till we look to his person, and then shall we find that God vouchsafed "with his own blood to purchase his Church" (Acts xx.) and that "we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son when we were his enemies." (Rom. v.) Bernard, expressing the infinite merit of Christ's death and passion, saith, "Incomprehensibilis (Deus voluit) comprehendi, summus humilari, potentissimus despici, pulcherrimus deformari, sapientissimus ut jumentum fieri, immortalis mori, ut compendio absolvam, Deus fieri (voluit) vermiculus; quid excelsius Deo? quid inferius vermiculo?" (Bernard de Passion, cap. xvii.)—The Incomprehensible (God would) be comprehended, the highest humbled, the most mighty despised, the most beautiful deformed, the most wise be like a beast, the immortal (would) suffer death; to speak all in few words, God would become a worm: what is higher than God?—what is baser than a worm?—If between the Creator and the best of his creatures there be an infinite distance, what think ye, then, was there betwixt the throne of God in heaven and the cross of Christ on earth? Even an infinite distance, and so infinite that neither men nor angels can comprehend it. The ground of our salvation, then, is the obedience, humility, and charity of the Son of God, yielding himself not only to serve in our stead, but to die for our sins; for when he was equal with God in nature, power, and glory, he refused not to take the shape of a servant upon him, and to humble himself to the death of the cross; not only obeying his Father's will, which we had despised, but abiding his hand for the chastisement of our peace. The Apostle noteth these three virtues in the person of Christ—"Let the same affection (of love) be in you which was in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, emptied and humbled himself, and became obedient to the death, even to the death of the cross." (Philip. ii.) By his humility, obedience, and charity, he purged the pride, rebellion, and self-love, which our first father shewed when he fell, and we all express in our sins; and, therefore, as we all died in Adam's transgression, so we are all justified, that is, absolved from our sins, and received into favour, by the obedience of Christ.
Yea, the obedience of Christ did in far higher degree please God the Father, than the rebellion of Adam did displease him; for there the vassal rebelled, here the equal obeyed; there earth presumed to be like unto God, here God vouchsafed to be the lowest among men; there the creature neglected his Maker, here the Creator so loved his enemies, even his persecutors, that he took the burthen from their shoulders and laid it on his own, contentedly giving his life for them who cruelly took his life from him: to conclude, those were the sins of men, these are the virtues of God, which do infinitely countervail the other; and, for that cause, the justice of God is far better satisfied with the obedience of Christ, than with the vengeance it might justly have executed on the sins of men: "for God hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezek. xxxiii.) neither doth he delight in man's destruction; but with the obedience of his Son he is well pleased, and therein even his soul delighteth. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matt. iii.) "Lo, my chosen, my soul taketh pleasure in him." (Isaiah xlii.) In which words God doth not only note the natural love betwixt his Son and himself, but he giveth full approbation of his obedience, as being thereby thoroughly satisfied for the sin of man. By Christ's obedience, I do not mean the holiness of his life or performance of the law, but the obedience of the person unto death, even the death of the cross, which was voluntarily offered by him, not necessarily imposed on him, above and besides the law, and no way required in the law: for it could be no duty to God or man, but only mercy and pity towards us, that caused the Son of God to take our mortal and weak flesh unto him, and therein and thereby to pay the ransom of our sins, and to purchase eternal life for us. He must be a Saviour—no debtor; a Redeemer—no prisoner; Lord of all, even when he humbled himself to be the servant of all. His divine glory, power, and majesty, make his sufferings to be of infinite force and value. And from his dignity and unity of person, which is the main pillar of our redemption, if we cast our eyes on any other cause, or devise any new help to strengthen the merits of Christ, we dishonour and disable his divinity, as if the Son of God were not a full and sufficient price to ransom the bodies and souls of all mankind.
On this foundation do the Scriptures build the whole frame of man's redemption. "God purchased his Church (saith Paul) with his own blood." (Acts xx.) God, noting the dignity; his own, the unity of his person; and both importing a price far worthier than the thing purchased. "God spared not his own Son, but gave him for us all." (Rom. viii.) In that he was the Son of God, all nations are counted unto him (or in balance with him) "less than nothing, and vanity." (Isaiah xl.) In that he was given for us, the ransom excelleth the prisoner as much as God doth man. "We are reconciled to God by the death of his Son." (Rom. v.) Marvel we to see Christ's death of that power and price with God, that it appeased his wrath when he was angry with us, as with his enemies; whenas his own Son, being equal with him in the form of God, he humbled himself to the death of the cross for our sakes? Fairer or fuller causes of our redemption we need not ask, the Holy Ghost doth not express, God cannot have. If the Son of God be not able with his blood to redeem us, we must give over all hope, and despair; for heaven cannot yield us a greater value, and the earth hath none like. Wherefore, if any man be disposed to seal his own condemnation with his own heart, let him distrust the merits of Christ's death; but all that will be saved must acknowledge the infinite price of his death and blood above our worth; and we must learn, being sinful and wretched creatures, not to amend the words of God in the mystery of our redemption, but suffer him that is truth to be the guider of our faith, and not, by figures, to frustrate all that is written in the word of God touching our salvation, purchased by the death and blood of Christ Jesus.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Tracts_of_the_Anglican_Fathers_With_Pref/jVv9eAxd4y0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA73&printsec=frontcover