Alan Clifford on Calvin and Heshusius

The following quote is taken from A. C. Clifford's book Atonement and Justification (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1990), 87. Footnote #42 reads:

William Cunningham (1805–61) flies in the face of the evidence in denying that Calvin taught universal atonement (The Reformers and the Theology of the Reformation (London, 1862; fac. London, 1967), 397. Although he denies that it is conclusive, he cites Calvin's isolated reply to the Lutheran divine Heshusius as 'a very explicit denial of the universality of the atonement' (p. 396). Calvin says, 'As he adheres so doggedly to the words ['this is my body'], I should like to know how the wicked can eat the flesh of Christ which was not crucified for them, and how they can drink the blood which was not shed to expiate their sins?' For a discussion of this see Daniel, 'John Gill and Hypercalvinism', p. 818 ff. Alternatively, once it is seen that Calvin is opposing the theory of consubstantiation, an otherwise problematic statement makes sense beside his numerous universalist statements. He is virtually asking how unbelievers (or anyone for that matter) can feed on a crucified Christ simply by eating and drinking consecrated elements; for they themselves were not actually crucified as Christ was. Calvin is simply ridiculing the idea that unbelievers feed on Christ by feeding on mere symbols. See Tracts and Treatises, ii. 527.

The original Calvin quotation can be found here (click). It has the quote this way:

But the first thing to be explained is, how Christ is present with unbelievers, as being the spiritual food of souls, and, in short, the life and salvation of the world. And as he adheres so doggedly to the words, I should like to know how the wicked can eat the flesh of Christ which was not crucified for them? and how they can drink the blood which was not shed to expiate their sins?

My Comment:

It is interesting how some high Calvinists immediately, as if unconsciously, take the term "wicked" and convert it into "non-elect". It doesn't even seem to occur to them that they slide right into thinking of the "wicked" as the "non-elect" in dealing with this quote. In their desperation to use this single Calvin citation to demonstrate their continuity with him on the atonement, they don't even pause to consider the fact that the unbelieving elect are also "wicked" prior to faith, even as the rest (see Eph. 2:3). The ones that are not wicked are not the elect as such, but the believing elect. The "wicked" are the unbelievers, whether elect or not.

The high Calvinist template or strict particularist presupposition gets stamped on the data as if they're not even epistemologically self-aware. And, contrary to Cunningham, they found everything upon this one quote. I recently saw this happen on the Hyper Puritan Board.