his own Body on the Tree 4. That he answered the Law and the penalty of it Rom. 8. 3. God sent forth his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath Redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Chap. 4. 4 5. God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law to Redeem them that were under the Law 5. That he dyed for sin and sinners to expiate the one and in the stead of the other Rom. 4. 25. He was delivered for our offences Rom. 5. 10. When we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son 1 Cor. 15. 3. Christ dyed for our sins according to the Scriptures 2 Cor. 5. 14. For the Love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one dyed for all then were all dead 1 Thes. 5. 9 10. 6. Hence on the part of God it is affirmed that he spared him not but delivered him up for us all Rom. 8. 32. And caused all our iniquities to meet upon him Isa. 53. 7. 7. The Effect hereof was 1. That the Righteousness of God was glorified Rom. 3. 25 26. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his blood to declare his Righteousness for the remission of sins 2. The Law fulfilled and satisfied as in the places before quoted Rom. 8. 3. Gal. 3. 13 14. Gal. 4. 5. 3. God reconciled 2 Cor. 5. 18 19. God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them Heb. 2. 17. He made reconciliation for the sins of the People 4. Attonement was made for sin Rom. 5. 11. By whom we have now received the Attonement and peace was made with God Eph. 2. 14. For he is our peace who hath made both one that he might reconcile both unto God in one Body by the Cross having slain the emnity thereby 〈◊〉 Made an end of sin Dan. 9. 24. To finish transgression to make an end of sins to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting Righteousness The glory of God in all these things being exalted himself well pleased Righteousness and everlasting Redemption or Salvation purchased for Sinners Heb. 9. 14. In that the chastisement of our peace was upon him and that by his stripes we are healed he being punished that we might go free himself became a Captain of Salvation unto all that do obey him I have fixed on these particulars to give every Ordinary Reader an instance how fully and plainly what he is to believe in this matter is revealed in the Scripture And should I produce all the Testimonies which expresly give witness unto these positions it is known how great a part of the Bible must be transcribed And these are the things which are indispensibly required of us to believe that we may be able 〈◊〉 and regulate our obedience according to the mind and will of God In the Explanation of this Doctrine unto further Edification sundry things are usually insisted on which necessarily and infallibly ensue upon the propositions of Scripture before laid down and serve to beget in the minds of Believers a due apprehension and right understanding of them As 1. That God in this matter is to be considered as the chief supream absolute Rector and Governour of all as the Lord of the Law and of sinners but yet so as an offended Ruler Not as an offended Person but as an offended Ruler who hath right to exact punishment upon Transgressors and whose Righteousness of Rule requires that he should so do 2. That because he is Righteous and Holy as he is the supream Judge of all the World it is necessary that he do right in the punishing of sin without which the order of the Creation cannot be preserved For sin being the Creatures deduction of it self from the order of its dependance upon and obedience unto the Creator and supream Lord of all without a reduction of it by punishment confusion would be brought into the whole Creation 3. That whereas the Law and the Sanction of it is the moral or declarative cause of the punishment of sin and it directly obligeth the sinner himself unto punishment God as the supream Ruler dispenseth not with the act of the Law but the immediate object and substitutes another sufferer in the room of them who are principally lyable unto the sentence of it and are now to be acquitted or freed that so the Law may be satisfied requiring the punishment of sin Justice exalted whereof the Law is an effect and yet the sinner saved 4. That the Person thus substituted was the Son of God incarnate who had power so to dispose of himself with will and readiness for it and was upon the account of the dignity of his Person able to answer the penalty which all others had incurred and deserved 5. That God upon his voluntary susception of this Office and condescention to this work did so lay our sins in and by the sentence of the Law upon him that he made therein full satisfaction for whatever legally could be charged on them for whom he dyed or suffered 6. That the special way terms and conditions whereby and whereon sinners may be interested in this satisâ—action made by Christ are determined by the Will of God and declared in the Scripture These and the like things are usually insisted on in the Explication or declaration of this head of our confession And there is not any of them but may be sufficiently confirmed by Divine Testimonies It may also be farther evinced that there is nothing asserted in them but what is excellently suited unto the common notions which mankind hath of God and his Righteousness and that in their practice they answer the light of nature and common reason exemplified in sundry Instances among the Nations of the World I shall therefore take one Argument from some of the testimonies before produced in the confirmation of this Sacred Truth and proceed to remove the objections that are commonly banded against it If the Lord Christ according to the Will of the Father and by his own counsel and choice was substituted and did substitute himself as the Mediatour of the Covenant in the room and in the stead of sinners that they might be saved and therein bare their sins or the punishment due unto their sins by undergoing the curse and penalty of the Law and therein also according to the Will of God offered up himself for a propitiatory expiatory Sacrifice to make Attonement for sin and Reconciliation for sinners that the Justice of God being appeased and the Law fulfilled they might go free or be delivered from the wrath to come and if therein also he paid a real satisfactory price for their Redemption then he made satisfaction to God for sin For these are the things that
impeach the freedom of pardon and forgiveness Whether then we respect the pardoner or the pardoned Pardon is every way free namely on the part of God who forgives and on the part of sinners that are forgiven If God now hath besides all this provided himself a Lamb for a Sacrifice if he hath in Infinite Wisdom and Grace found out a way thus freely to forgive us out sins to the praise and glory of his own Holiness Righteousness and severity against sin as well as unto the unspeakable advancement of that Grace Goodness and bounty which he immediately exerciseth in the pardon of sin are these mens eyes evil because he is good Will they not be contented to be pardoned unless they may have it at the rate of dispoiling God of his Holiness Truth Righteousness and Faithfulness And as this is certainly done by that way of pardon which these men propose no reserve in the least being made for the glory of God in those holy properties of his nature which are immediately injured and opposed by sin so that pardon it self which they pretend so to magnifie having nothing to influence it but a meer arbitrary act of Gods will is utterly dâ—based from its own proper worth and excellency And I shall willingly undertake to manifest that they derogate no less from Grace and Mercy in pardon than they do from the Righteousness and Holiness of God by the forgiveness which they have feigned and that in it both of them are perverted and dispoiled of all their glory But they yet say If God can freely pardon sin why doth he not do it without satisfaction if he cannot he is weaker and more imperfect than man who can do so Answ. First God cannot do many things that men can do nor that he is more imperfect than they but he cannot do them on the account of his perfection He cannot lye he cannot deny himself he cannot change which men can do and do every day Secondly To pardon sin without satisfaction in him who is absolutely Holy Righteous True and Faithful the absolute necessary supream Governour of all sinners the Author of the Law and sanction of it wherein punishment is threatned and declared is to deny himself and to do what one infinitely perfect cannot do Thirdly I ask of these men why God doth not pardon sins freely without requiring faith repentance and obedience in them that are pardoned yea as the conditions on which they may be pardoned For seeing he is so infinitely good and graciousâ— cannot he pardon men without prescribing such terms and conditions unto them as he knoweth that men and that incomparably the greatest number of them will never come up unto and so must of necessity perish for ever Yea but they say this cannot be neither doth this impeach the freedom of pardon For it is certain that God doth prescribe these things and yet he pardoneth freely And it would altogether unbecome the holy God to pardon sinners that continue so to live and dye in their sins But do not these men see that they have hereby given away their Cause which they contend for For if a prescription of sundry things to the sinner himself without which he shall not be pardoned do not at all impeach as they say the freedom of pardon but God may be said freely to pardon sin notwithstanding it How shall the receiving of satisfaction by another nothing aâ— all being required of the sinner have the least appearance of any such thing If the freedom of forgiveness consists in such a boundless notion as these men imagine it is certain that the prescribing of faith and repentance in and unto sinners antecedently to their participation of it is much more evidently contrary unto it than the receiving of satisfaction from another who is not to be pardoned can to any appear to be Secondly If it be contrary to the holiness of God to pardon any without requiring Faith Repentance and Obedience in them as it is indeed let not these persons be offended if we believe him when he so frequently declares it that it was so to remit sin without the fulfilling of his Law and satisfaction of his Justice Secondly They say There is no such thing as Justice in God requiring the punishment of sin but that that which in him requireth and calleth for the punishment of sin is his Anger and Wrath which expressions denote free Acts of his Will and not any essential properties of his nature So that God may punish sin or not punish it at his pleasure Therefore there is no Reason that he should require any satisfaction for sin seeing he may pass it by absolutely as he pleaseth Answ. Is it not strange that the great Governour the Judge of all the world which on the supposition of the Creation of it God is naturally and necessarily should not also naturally be so righteous as to do right in rendring unto every one according to his works 2. The Sanction and penalty of the Law which is the Rule of punishment was as I suppose an effect of Justice of Gods natural and essential Justice and not of his Anger or Wrath. Certainly never did any man make a Law for the Government of a people in anger Draco's Laws were not made in wrath but according to the best apprehension of right and Justice that he had though said to be written in blood And shall we think otherwise of the Law of God 3. Anger and Wrath in God express the effects of Justice and so are not meerly free acts of his will This therefore is a tottering cause that is built on the denyal of Gods Essential Righteousness But it was proved before and it is so elsewhere 3. They say that the Sacrifice of Christ was Metaphorically only so That he was a metaphorical Priest not one properly so called And therefore that his Sacrifice did not consist in his death and blood-shedding but in his appearing in Heaven upon his Ascersion presenting himself unto God in the most Holy Place not made with hands as the Mediator of the new Covenant Answ. When once these men come to this Evasion they think themselves safe and that they may go whither they will without controll For they say it is true Christ was a Priest but only he was a Metaphorical one He offered Sacrifice but it was a Metaphorical one He redeemed us but with a Metaphorical Redemption and so we are Justified thereon but with a Metaphorical Justification and so for ought I know they are like to be saved with a Metaphorical Salvation This is the substance of their plea in this matter Christ was not really a Priest but did somewhat like a Priest He offered not Sacrifice really but did somewhat that was like a Sacrifice He redeemed us not really but did somewhat that looked like Redemption And what these things are wherein their Analogâ—e consisteth what proportion the things that Christ hath done bare to the things that
I shall mention here but few of them because a large Dissertation concerning them all is intended in another way First For the Term of satisfaction it self It is granted that in this matter it is not found in the Scripture That is it is not so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Syllabically but it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thing it self intended is asserted in it beyond all Modest contradiction Neither indeed is there in the Hebrew Language any word that doth adequately answer unto it no nor yet in the Greek As it is used in this cause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is properly sponsio or fide jussio in its actual discharge maketh the nearest approach unto it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used to the same purpose But there are Words and Phrases both in the Old Testament and in the New that are equipollent unto it and express the matter or thing intended by it As in the Old are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This last word we render satisfaction Numb 35. 32 33. where God denyes that any compensation Sacred or Civil shall be received to free a Murderer from the punishment due unto him which properly expresseth what we intend Thou shalt admit of no satisfaction for the life of a Murderer In the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Verbs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are of the same importance and some of them accommodated to express the thing intended beyond that which hath obtained in vulgar use For that which we intended hereby is the Voluntary Obedience unto Death and the Passion or suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ God and Man whereby and wherein he offered himself through the Eternal Spirit for a propitiatory Sacrifice that he might fulfill the Law or answer all its universal Postulata and as our Sponsor undertaking our Cause when we were under the sentence of condemnation underwent the punishment due to us from the Justice of God being transferred on him whereby haveing made a perfect and absolute Propitiation or Attonement for our sins he procured for us deliverance from death and the Curse and a Right unto life everlacting Now this is more properly expressed by some of the words before mentioned than by that of Satisfaction which yet nevertheless as usually explained is comprehensive and no way unsuited to the matter intended by it In general men by this word understand either reparationem offensae or solutionem debiti either Reparation made for offence given unto any or the payment of a debt Debitum is either oriminale or pecuniarium that is either the obnoxiousness of a man to punishment for crimes or the guilt of them in answer to that justice and Law which he is necessarily liable and subject unto or unto a payment or compensation by and of money or what is valued by it which last consideration neither in it self nor in any reasonings from an Analogie unto it can in this matter have any proper place Satisfaction is the effect of the doing or suffering what is required for the answering of his charge against faults or sins who hath Right Authority and Power to require exact and inflict punishment for them Some of the Schoolment define it by voluntaris radditio aequivalentis indebiti of which more elsewhere The true meaning of to satisfie or make satisfaction is tantum facere aut pati quantum satis sit juste irato ad vindictam This satisfaction is impleaded as inconsistent with free Remission of Sins how causlesly we have seen It is so far from it that it is necessary to make way for it in case of a Righteous law transgressed and the publick Order of the Universal Governour and Government of all disturbed And this God directs unto Lev. 4. 31. The Priest shall make an Attonement for him and it shall be forgiven him This Attonement was a Legal Satisfaction and it is by God himself premised to Remission or Pardon And Paul prayes Philemon to forgive Onesimus though he took upon himself to make satisfaction for all the wrong or dammage that he had sustained Epist. v. 18 19. And when God was displeased with the friends of Job he prescribes a way to them or what they shall do and what they shall get done for them that they might be accepted and pardoned Job 42. 7 8. The Lord said unto Eliphaz my wrath is kindled against thee and against thy two friends therefore take unto you now seven Bullocks and seven Ramms and go to my servant Job and offer up for your selves a burnt offering and my servant Job shall pray for you for him I will accept lest I deal with you after your folly He plainly enjoyneth an Attonement that he might Freely pardon them And both these namely satisfaction and pardon with their order and consistency were solemnly represented by the great Institution of the Sacrifice of the Scape Goat For after all the sins of the people were put upon him or the punishment of them transferred unto him in a Type and Representation with quod in ejus caput-sit the Formal Reason of all Sacrifices propitiatory he was sent away with them denoting the oblation or forgiveness of sin after a Translation made of its punishment Lev. 16. 21 22. And whereas it is not expresly said that that Goat suffered or was slain but was either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hircus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Goat sent away or was sent to a Rock called Azazel in the Wilderness as Vatablus and Oleaster with some others think which is not probable seeing though it might then be done whilest the people were in the Wilderness of Sinai yet could not by reason of its distance when the people were setled in Canaan be annually observed it was from the poverty of the Types whereof no one could fully represent that Grace which it had particular respect unto What therefore was wanting in that Goat was supplyed in the other which was slain as a sin offering v. 11. 15. Neither doth it follow that on the supposition of the satisfaction pleaded for the Freedom Pardon or Acquitment of the person originally guilty and liable to punishment must immediately and ipso facto ensue It is not of the nature of every solution or satisfaction that deliverance must ipso facto follow And the Reason of it is because this satisfaction by a succedaneous substitution of one to undergo punishment for another must be founded in a voluntary compact and Agreement For there is required unto it a Relaxation of the Law though not as unto the punishment to be inflicted yet as unto the person to be punished And it is otherwise in personal guilt than in pecuniary debts In these the Debt it self is solely intended the person only obliged with reference thereunto In the other the person is firstly and principally under the Obligation And therefore when a pecuniary debs is paid by whomsoever it be paid the Obligation of the person
to be the case as to the sufferings of Christ is as far as I can understand to subvert the whole Gospel Moreover as was said this harh been variously exemplified among the Nations of the world whose actings in such cases because they excellently shadow out the general notion of the death of Christ for others for sinners and are appealed unto directly by the Apostle to this purpose Rom. 5. 7 8. I shall in a few Instances reflect upon Not to insist on the voluntary surrogations of private Persons one into the Room of another mutually to undergo dangers and death for one another as before mentioned I shall only remember some publick Transactions in reference unto communities in Nations Cities or Armies Nothing is more celebrated amongst the Ancients than this that when they supposed themselves in Danger from the Anger and displeasure of their Gods by reason of any guilt or crimes among them some one person should either devote himself or be devoted by the people to dye for them and therein to be made as it were an expiatory Sacrifice For where sin is the cause and God is the object respected the making of satisfaction by undergoing punishment and expiating of sin by a propitiatory Sacrifice are but various expressions of the same thing Now those whoso devoted themselves as was said to dye in the stead of others or to expiate their sins and turn away the Anger of the God they feared by their death designed two things in what they did First That the Evils which were impendent on the people and feared might fall on themselves so that the people might go free Secondly That all good things which themselves desired might be conferred on the People which things have a notable shaddow in them of the great expiatory Sacrifice concerning which we treat and expound the Expressions wherein it is declared The Instance of the Decii is known of whom the Poet Plebeiae Deciorum animae plebeia fuerunt Nomina pro totis legionibuâ— hitamâ—n pro Omnibus auxiliis atque omni plehe Latins Sufficiunt Diis infernis The two Decii Father and Son in imminent dangers of the people devoted themselves at several times unto Death and Destruction And saith he sufficiunt Diis infernis they satisfied for the whole people adding the Reason whence so it might be Pluris enim Decii quam qui servantur ab illis They were more to be valued than all that were saved by them And the great Historian doth excellently describe both the Actions and Expectations of the one and the other in what they did The Father when the Roman Army commanded by himself and Titus Mâ—nlius was near a total ruine by the Latines called for the publick Priest and caused him with the usual solemn Ceremonies to devote him to death for the deliverance and safety of the Army after which making his requests to his Gods dii quorum est potestas nostrorum hostiumque the gods that had power over them and their Adversaries as he supposed he cast himself into death by the swords of the Enemy Conspectus ab utraque acie aliquanto augustior humano visu sicut coelo missus piaculum omnis Deorum irae qui pestem ab suis aversam in hostes ferret He was looked on by both Armies as one more August than a man as one sent from Heaven to be a piacular Sacrifice to appease the Anger of the gods and to transferre destruction from their own Army to the Enemies Liv. Hist. 8. His Son in like manner in a great and dangerous battel against the Galls and Samnites wherein he commanded in Chief devoting himself as his Father had done added unto the former solemn deprecations prae se agere sese formidinem ac fugam caedemque ac cruorem coel stium infernorum iras lib. 11. That he carryed away before him from those for whom he devoted himself fear and flight slaughter and blood the anger of the Coelestial and Infernal gods And as they did in this devoting of themselves design averuncare malum deûm iras lustrare pâ—pulum aut exercitum piaculum fieri or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expiare crimina scelus reatum or to remove all evil from others by taking it on themselves in their stead so also they thought they might and intended in what did to covenant and contract for the good things they desired So did these Decii and so is Menaeceus reported to have done when he devoted himself for the City of Thebes in danger to be destroyed by the Argives So Papinius introduceth him treating his gods Armorum superi tuque ô quifunere tanto Indulges mihi Phoebe mori date gaudia Thebis Quae pepegi toto quae sanguine prodi gus emi He reckoned that he had not only repelled all death and danger from Thebes by his own but that he had purchased joy in peace and liberty for the people And where there was none in publick calamities that did voluntarily devote themselves the people were wont to take some obnoxious person to make him exercraâ—le and to lay on him according to their superstition all the wrath of their Gods and so give him up to Destruction Such the Apostle alludes unto Rom. 9. 3. 1 Cor. 4. 9 13. So the Massilians were wont to explate their City by taking a Person devoted imprecating on his head all the evil that the City was obnoxious unto casting him into the Sea with thâ—se words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be thou our expiatory Sacrifice To which purpose were the solemn words that many used in their expiatory Sacrifices as Herodotus testâ—fieth of the Aegyptians bringing their Offerings saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they laid these imprecations on their heads that if any Evil were happening towards the Sacrificer or all Egypt let it be all turned and laid on this devoted head And the persons whom they thus dealt withall and made execrate were commonly of the vilest of the people or such as had rendred themselves detestable by their own crimes whence was the complaint of the Mother of Mâ—naeceus upon her Sons devoting himself Lustralemne feris ego te puer inclyte Thebis Dâ—votumque caput vilis seu mater alebam I have recounted these Instances to evince the common intention sense and understanding of that expression of one dying for another and to manifest by Examples what is the sense of mankind about any ones being devoted and substituted in the Room of others to deliver them from death and danger the consideration whereof added to the constant use of the words mentioned in the Scripture is sufficient to fâ—â—nd and confirm this conclusion That whereas it is frâ—quently affirmed in the Scripture thâ—ir Christ dyed for us and for our sins c. to deny that he dyed and suffered in our stead undergoing the death whereunto we were obnoxious and the punishment due to our sins is if we respect in what we say or believe the constant use of those