are really so from whence they receive their denomination that it is meet it should be wholly in the power of these persons to declare But 2. What should hinder the death of Christ to be a Sacrifice a proper Sacrifice and according to the nature end and use of Sacrifices to have made Attonement and Satisfaction for sin 1. It is expresly called so in the Scripture wherein he is said to offer himself to make his soul an offering to offer himself a Sacrifice Eph. 5. 2. Heb. 1. 3. Heb. 9. 14 25. 26. Chap. 7. 27. And he is himself directly said to be a Priest or a Sacrificer Heb. 2. 18. And it is no where intimated much less expressed that these things are not spoken properly but Metaphorically only 2. The Legal Sacrifices of the Old Law were instituted on purpose to represent and prepare the way for the bringing in of the Sacrifice of the Lâ—mb of God so to take away the sin of the World And is it not strange that true and real Sacrifices should be Types and R presentations of that which was not so On this supposition all those Sacrifices are but so many seductions from the right understanding of things between God and sinners 3. Nothing is wanting to render it a proper propitiatory Sacrifice for 1. There was the person offering and that was Christ himself Heb. 9. 14. He offered himself unto God He that is the Sacrificer denotes the person of Christ God and Man and Himself as the Sacrifice denotes his Humane Nature whence God is said to purchase his Church with his own blood Act. 20. 28. For he offered himself through the Eternal Spirit so that 2. There was the Matter of the Sacrifice which was the Humane Nature of Christ soul and body His soul was made an offering for Sin Isa. 53. 10 And his body the offering of the body of Jesus Christ Hob. 10 11. His blood especially which is often Synecdochically mentioned for the whole 4. His death had the nature of a Sacrifice For 1. Therein were the sins of men laid upon him and not in his entrance into Heaven for he bare our sins in his own body on the tree 1 Pet. 2. 23. God made our sins then to meet upon him Isa. 53. 6. Which gives the formality unto any Sacrifices Quod in ejus Caput sit is the formal reason of all Propitiatory Sacrifices and ever was so as is expresly declared Lev. 16. 21 22. And the phrase of bearing sin of bearing iniquity is constantly used for the undergoing of the punishment due to sin 2. It had the End of a proper Sacrifice it made expiation of sin propitiation and attonement for sin with reconciliation with God and so took away that enmity that was between God and sinners Heb. 1. 3. Rom. 3. 25 26. Heb. 2. 17 18. Heb. 5. 10. Rom. 8. 3. 2 Cor. 5. 18 19. And although God himself pesigned appointed and contrived in Wisdom this way of Reconciliation as he did the means for the attoning of his own Anger towards the friends of Job commanding them to go unto him and with him offer Sacrifices for themselves which he would accept Chap. 4. 28. Yet as He was the Supream Governour the Lord of all attended with Infinite Justice and Holiness Attonement was made with him and satisfaction to him thereby What hath been spoken may suffice to discover the emptiness and weakness of those exceptions which in general these men make against the Truth before laid down from the Scripture A brief examination of some particular instances wherein they seek not so much to oppose as to reproach the Revelation of this Mysterie of the Gospel shall put a close to this discourse It is said then 1. That if this be so then it will follow that God is gracious to Forgive and yet impossible for him unless the debt be fully satisfied Answ. I suppose the confused and abrupt expression of things here in words scarcely affording a tolerable sense is rather from weakness than captiousness and so I shall let the manner of the proposal pass 2. What is this should follow that God is gracious to forgive sinners and yet will not cannot on the account of his own Holiness and Righteousness actually forgive any without Satisfaction and Attonement made for sin the worst that can be hence concluded is that the Scripture is true which affirms both these in many places 3. This sets out the exceeding greatness of the Grace of God in forgiveness that when sin could not be forgiven without satisfaction and the sinner himself could no way make any such satisfaction that he provided himself a Sacrifice of Attonement that the sinner might be discharged and pardoned 4. Sin is not properly a debt for then it might be paid in kind by sin it self but is called so only because it binds over the sinner to punishment which is the satisfaction to be made for that which is properly a Transgression and improperly only a debt It is added 2. Hence it follows that the finite and impotent creature is more capable of extending Mercy and Forgiveness than the Infinite and Omnipotent Creator Answ. God being Essentially Holy and Righteous having ingaged his faithfulness in the sanction of the Law and being naturally and necessarily the Governour and Ruler of the World the Forgiving of sin without satisfaction would be no perfection in him but an effect of impotency and imperfection a thing which God cannot do as he cannot lye nor deny himself 2. The direct contrary of what is insinuated is asserted by this Doctrine for on the supposition of the Satisfaction and Attonement insisted on not only doth God freely forgive but that in such a way of Righteousness and Goodness as no Creature is able to conceive or express the glory and excellency of it And to speak of the poor halving pardons of private Men upon particular offences against themselves who are commanded so to do and have no right nor authority to require or exact punishment nor is any due upon the meer account of their own concernment in comparison with the forgiveness of God ariseth out of a deep ignorance of the whole matter under consideration 3. It is added by them that hence it follows that God so loved the World he gave his only Son to save it and yet that God stood off in high displeasure and Christ gave himself as a compleat satisfaction to offended Justice Answ. 1. Something these Men would say if they knew what or how for 1. That God so loved the World as to give his only Son to save it is the expression of the Scripture and the foundation of the Doctrine whose truth we contend for That Christ offered himself to make Attonement for sinners and therein made satisfaction to the Justice of God is the Doctrine it self which these Men oppose and not any consequent of it 3. That God stood off in high displeasure is an expression which neither the Scripture useth
the Personal Union The Divine and humane nature in Christ have but one personal subsistence and so are but one Christ one distinct personal principle of all Operations of all that he did or doth as Mediator And this undeniably follows from what is declared in the Testimonies mentioned For the Word could not be made flesh nor could he take on him the seed of Abraham nor could the mighty God be a Child born and given unto us nor could God shed his blood for his Church but that the two natures so directly expressed must be united in one Person for otherwise as they are two natures still they would be two Persons also 2. Each nature thus united in Christ is entire and preserves unto it self its own natural properties For he is no less perfect God for being made Man nor no less a true perfect Man consisting of soul and body with all their essential parts by that natures being taken into subsistence with the Son of God His Divine nature still continues Immense Omniscient Omnipotent infinite in Holiness c. his bumane nature finite limited and before its Glorification subject to all infirmities of life and death that the same nature in others absolutely considered is obnoxious unto 3. In each of these natures he acts suitably unto the essential properties and principles of that nature As God he made all things upholds all things by the word of his Power fills Heaven and Earth c. As man he lived hungred suffered dyed rose ascended into Heaven Yet by reason of the Union of both these natures in the same Person not only his own Person is said to do all these things but the Person expressed by the name which he hath on the account of one nature is said to do that which he did only in the other So God is said to redeem his Church with his own blood and to lay down his life for us and the Son of Man to be in Heaven when he was in the Earth All because of the unity of his Person as was declared And these things do all of them directly and undeniably flow from what is revealed concerning his Person as before is declared Of the Satisfaction of CHRIST THE last thing to be enquired into upon occasion of the late opposition to the great fundamental Truths of the Gospel is the satisfaction of Christ. And the Doctrine hereof is such as I eonceive needs rather to be explained than vindicated For it being the Center wherein most if not all the Lines of Gospel Promises and Precepts do meet and the great medium of all our Communion with God in Faith and Obedience the great distinction between the Religion of Christians and that of all others in the world it will easily on a due proposal be assented unto by all who would be esteemed Disciples of Jesus Christ. And whether a parcel of insipid Cavils may be thought sufficient to obliterate the Revelation of it men of sober minds will judge and discern For the term of Satisfaction we contend not about it It doth indeed properly express and connote that great Effâ—ct of the Death of Christ which in the cause before us we plead for But yet because it belongs rather to the Explanation of the Truth contended for then is used expresly in the Revelation of it and because the right understanding of the Word it self depends on some notions of Law that as yet we need not take into consideration I shall not in this entrance of our discourse insist precisely upon it but leave it as the natural conclusion of what we shall find expresly declared in the Scripture Neither do I say this as though I did decline the Word or the right use of it or what is properly signified by it but do only cast it into its proper place answerable unto our method and design in the whole of this brieâ— discourse I know some have taken a new way of expressing and declaring the Doctrine concerning the Mediation of Christ with the causes and ends of his death which they think more rational than that usually insisted on But as what I have yet heard of or seen in that kind hath been not only unscriptural but also very irrational and most remote from that accuracy whereunto they pretend who make use of it so if they shall publish their conceptions it is not improbable but that they may meet with a Scholastical Examination by some hand or other Our present work as hath been often declared is for the establishment of the Faith of them who may be attempted if not brought into danger to be seduced by the slights of some who lye in wait to deceive and the clamours of others who openly drive the same design What therefore the Scripture plainly and clearly reveals in this matter is the subject of our present enquiry And either in so doing as occasion shall be offered we shall obviate or in the close of it remove those Sophisms that the Sacred Truth now proposed to consideration hath been attempted withal The summ of what the Scripture reveals about this great truth commonly called the satisfaction of Christ may be reduced unto these ensuing heads 1. That Adam being made upright sinned against God and all mankind all his posterity in him Gen. 1. 27. So God created man in hit own Image in the Image of God created he him Male and Female created he them Gen. 3. 11. And he said who told thee that thou wast naked Hast thou eaten of the Tree whreof I commandeded thee that then shouldst not eat Eccles. 7. 29. Lo this only have I found that God made man upright but he hath sought out many inventions Rom. 5. 12. Wherefore as by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Ver. 18. Therefore by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation Ver. 19. By one mans disobedience many were made sinners 2. That by this Sin of our first Parents all men are brought into an Estate of Sin and Apostacy from God and of an enmity unto him Gen. 6. 5. God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the Earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually Psal. 51. 5. Behold I was sâ—â—â—pen in iniquity and in sin did my Mother conceive me Rom. 3. 23. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Rom. 8. 7. The carnal mind is enmity against God fâ—r it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Ephes. 4. 18. Having the understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart Chap. 2. 1. Col. 2. 13. Thirdly That in this state all men continue in sin against God nor of themselves can do otherwise Rom. 3. 10 11 12. There is none righteous no not one there is none
suppose that this is the first time that this Doctrine fell under this imputation nor could it possibly be lyable unto this charge from any who did either understand it or the grounds on which it is commonly opposed For there is no end of the Life or death of Christ which the Socinians themselves admit of but it is also allowed and asserted in the Doctrine now called in Question Do they say that he taught the Truth or revealed the whole mind and will of God concerning his Worship and our obedience We say the same Dâ— they say that by his death he hare testimony unto and confirmed the truth which he had taught it is also owned by us Do they say that in what he did and suâ—fered he set us an Example that we should labour after conformity unto it is what we acknowledge and teach Only we say that all these things belong principally to his Prophetical Office But we moreover affirm and believe that as a Priest or in the discharge of his Sacerdotal Office he did in his death and sufferings offer himself a Sacrifice to God to make Attonement for our sins which they deny and that he dyed for us or in our stead that we might go free without the faith and acknowledgement whereof no part of the Gospel can be rightly understood All the ends then which they themselves assign of the Life and death of Christ are by us granted and the principal one which gives life and efficacy to the rest is by them denyed Neither 2. doth it fall under any possible imagination that the praise due unto God should be Ecclipsed hereby The Love and Kindness of God towards us is in the Scripture fixed principally and fundamentally on his sending of his only begotten Son to dye for us And certainly the greater the work was that he had to do the greater ought our acknowledgement of his Love and kindness to be but it is said 5. That it represents the Son more kind and compassionate than the Father whereas if both be the same God then either the Father is as loving as the Son or the Son as angry as the Father Answ. 1. The Scripture referreth the Love of the Father unto two heads 1. The sending of his Son to dye for us John 3. 16. Rom. 5. 8. 1 John 4. 8. 2. In choosing sinners unto a participation of the fruits of his love Ephes. 1. 3 4 5 6. The Love of the Son is fixed signally on his actual giving himself to dye for us Gal. 2. 20. Ephes. 5. 25. Rev. 1. 5. What ballances these Persons have got to weigh these Loves in and to conclude which is the greatest or most weighty I know not 2. Although only the actual discharge of his Office be directly assigned to the Love of Christ yet his condâ—scention in taking our nature upon him expressed by his mind Ephes 6. 7. and the readiness of his Will Psalm 40. 8. doth eminently comprise Love in it also Thirdly The Love of the Father in sending of the Son was an act of his will which being a natural and essential property of God it was so far the act of the Son also as he is partaker of the same nature though eminently and in respect of order it was peculiarly the act of the Father 4. The anger of â—od against sin is an effect of his essential Righteousness and Holiness which belong to him as God which yet hinders not but that both Father and Son and Spirit acted Love towards sinners They say again 6. It robs God of the gift of his Son for our redemption which the Scriptures attribute to the unmerited Love he had for the World in affirming the Son purchased that redemption from the Father by the gift of himself to God as our compleat satisfaction Answ. 1. It were endless to consider the improper and absurd expressions which are made use of in these exceptions as here the last words have no tolerable sence in them according to any principles whatever 2. If the Son 's purchasing Redemption for us procuring obtaining it do rob God of the gift of his Son for our redemption the Holy Ghost must answer for it For having obtained for us or procured or purchased eternal redemption is the word used by himself Heb. 9. 14. And to deny that he hath laid down his Life a ransome for us and to have bought us with a price is openly to deny the Gospel 2. In a word the great gift of God consisted in giving his Son to obtain Redemption for us 3. Herein he offered himself unto God and gave himself for us and if these Persons are offended herewithal what are we that we should withstand God They say 7. Since Christ could not pay what was not his own it follows that in the payment of his own the case still remains equally grievous Since the debt is not hereby absolved or forgiven but transferred only and by consequence we are no better provided for salvation than before owing that now to the Son which was once owing to the Father Answ. The looseness and dubiousness of the expressions here used makes an appearance that there is something in them when indeed there is not There is an Allusion in them to a debt and a payment which is the most improper expression that is used in this matter and the interpretation thereof is to be regulated by other proper expressions of the same thing But to keep to the Allusion 1. Christ paid his own but not for himself Dan. 9. 26. 2. Paying it for us the debt is discharged and our actual discharge is to be given out according to the wayes and means and upon the conditions appointed and constituted by the Father and Son 3. When a debt is so transferred as that one is accepted in the room and obliged to payment in the stead of another and that payment is made and accepted accordingly all Law and Reason require that the original Debtor be discharged 4. What on this account we owe to the Son is praise thankfulness and obedience and not the debt which he took upon himself and discharged for us when we were non-solvent by his love So that this matter is plain enough and not to be involved by such cloudy expressions and incoherent discourse following the Metaphor of a debt For if God be considered as the Creditor we all as Debtors and being insolvent Christ undertook out of his Love to pay the debt for us and did so accordingly which was accepted with God it follows that we are to be discharged upon Gods terms and under a new obligation unto his Love who hath made this satisfaction for us which we shall eternally acknowledge It is said 8. It no way renders Men beholding or in the least obliged to God since by their Doctrine he would not have abated us nor did he Christ the least farthing so that the acknowledgements are peculiarly the Sons which destroyes the whole current of
words in the Scripture the nature of the thing it self concerning which they are used the uncontrolled use of that Expression in all sorts of Writers in expressing the same thing which the instances and examples of its meaning and intention among the Nations of the World is to deny that he dyed for us at all Neither will his dying for our Good or advantage only in what way or sense soever answer or make good or true the Assertion of his dying for us and our sins And this is evident in the Death of the Apostles and Martyrs they all dyed for our Good our advantage and benefit was one end of their sufferings in the will and appointment of God And yet it cannot be said that they dyed for us or our sins And if Christ dyed only for our Good though in a more effectual manner than they did yet this altereth not the kind of his dying for us nor can he thence be said properly according to the only due sense of that expression so to do I shall in this brief and hasty discourse add only one consideration more about the death of Christ to confirm the Truth pleaded for And that is that he is said in dying for sinners to bear their sins Isa. 53. 11. He shall bear their iniquities v. 12. He bare the sins of many explained v. 5. He was wounded for our Transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the Chastisement of our peace was upon him 1 Pet. 2. 24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the Tree c. This expression is purely Sacred It occurreth not directly in other Authors though the sense of it in other words do frequently They call it luere peccata that is delictorum supplicium ferre to bear the punishment of sins The meaning therefore of this phrase of speech is to be taken from the Scripture alone and principally from the Old Testament where it is originally used and from whence it is tranferred into the New Testament in the same sense and no other Let us consider some of the places Isa. 53. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used vers 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And our griefs he hath born them The word signifies properly to bear a Weight or a Burden as a man bears it on his shoulders bajulo porto And it is never used with respect unto sin but openly and plainly it signifies the undergoing of the punishment due unto it so it occurrs directly to our purpose Lam. 5. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our Fathers have sinned and are not and we have born their iniquities The punishment due to their sins And why a new sense should be forged for these words when they are spoken concerning Christ who can give a just reason Again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used to the same purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vers 12. And he bear the sin of many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is often used with respect unto sin sometimes with reference unto Gods actings about it and sometimes with reference unto mens concerns in it In the first way or when it denotes an act of God it signifies to lift up to take away or pardon sin and leaves the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where with it is joyned under its first signification of iniquity or the gâ—ilt of sin with respect unto punishment ensuing as its consequent For God pardoning the guilt of sin the removal of the punishment doth necessarily ensue Guilt containing an Obligation unto punishment In the latter way as it respects men or sinners it constantly denotes the bearing of the punishment of sin and gives that sense unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with respect unto the guilt of sin as its cause And hence ariseth the ambiguity of those words of Cain Gen. 14. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denotes an act of God if the words be spoken with reference in the first place to any acting of his towards Cain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 retains the sense of iniquity and the words are rightly rendered My sin is greater than to be fogiven If it respect Cain himself firstly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 assumes the signification of Punishment and the words are to be rendred My punishment is greater than I can bear or is to be born by me This I say is the constant sense of this expression nor can any Instance to the contrary be produced Some may be mentioned in the confirmation of it Numb 14. 33. Your children shall wander in the Wilderness forty years 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and shall bear your Whoredoms v. 34. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ye shâ—ll bear your in quities forty years that is the punishment due to your whoredoms and iniquities according to Gods Provideneial dâ—aling with them at that time Lev. 19. 8. He that eateth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall bear his iniquities How 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that sâ—ul shall be cut off To bâ— cut off for sin by the punishment of it and for its guilt is to bear in quity So Chap. â—0 16 17 18. for a man to bear his iniquity and to be killed slain or put to death for it are the same Ezek. 18. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the soul that sinneth it shall dye the Son shall not bear the sin of the Father To bear sin and to dye for sin are the same More Instances might be added all uniformity speaking the same sense of the words And as this sense is sufficiently indeed invincibly established by the invariable use of that Expression in the Scripture so the manner whereby it is affirmed that the Lord Christ bare our iniquities sets it absolutely free from all danger by Opposition For he bare our iniquities when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord made to meet on him or laid on him the iniquity of us all Isa. 53. 6. which words the LXX render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord gave him up or delivered him unto our sins That is to be punished for them for other sense the words can have none He made him sin for us 2 Cor. 5. 21. so he bore our sins Isa. 53. 11. How in his own Body on the tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. that when he was and in his being stricken smitten afflicted wounded bruised slain so was the chastisement of our Peace upon him Wherefore to deny that the Lord Christ in his death and suffering for us underwent the punishment due to our sins what we had deserved that we might be delivered as it everts the great foundation of the Gospel so by an open perverting of the plain words of the Scripture because not suited in their sense and importance to the vain imaginations of men it gives no small countenance to Infidelity and Atheism FINIS