any reasonable Man desire more than a clear revelation concerning the terms upon which God will be reconciled and an assurance given by miraculous operations That there 's no collusion in the Declaration The Exemplary Life of our Blessed Lord is sufficient to invite us to be agreeable in our Conversation to the conditions of the New Covenant His Death with all the terrifying circumstances attending it have a tendence to affright Men from embracing his Doctrin No Man is naturally inclined to espouse that way which may expose him to so much sorrow Was there no more intended in the Death of Christ than what Socinus asserts He might after his Immaculate Life spent in this World like Enoch and Elias have been immediately translated into Heaven and there with as much advantage as if he had suffered the pains of death have transacted all those things appertaining to our reconciliation which they attribute unto him He was above Thirty Years in this sublunary state contesting with the anxieties of humane Life and therefore must necessarily be touched with a fence of our infirmities His whole Life was meritorious and therefore there is no reason to think That the most easie way to Heaven would have been denied him had his sufferings imported no more than what our Adversaries in this Cause affirm The God of Nature and Grace doth not use to do any thing in vain Lastly The reasons of the sufferings of our Blessed Lord which must be granted to be of more importance than any thing which has been alledged by the Socinians the Holy Scripture resolves into our sin and represents his Passion as the Punishment of it Man violating the Law of his Creation if nothing did interpose to prevent the infliction of Punishment our condition would be a state of desperation destructive of that which is most essential to Religion and pleasing unto God No place would be left for the emanations of his benignity which he is eminently delighted with He being propense to pardon and his hatred to Sin and love to his Law inclining him not to do it without some severe expression of his detestation first made against the violation of his Command in order to the reconciling of these propensities and making way for his clemency to exert it self his eternal Son has freely offered himself to bear the penalty due to us upon the account of Sin For this reason he is said to be made a curse Gal. 3.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here is expounded by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That he might redeem us from the curse He has freely without any compulsion derived it upon himself Crellius tell us That the word here cannot be taken in this fence because he who is properly accursed is the object of Divine Hatred which cannot be asserted of the Son of God and the curse which he suffered was the death of the Cross but the curse of the Law is Eternal death To which I reply He which is accursed upon his own account is the object of Divine Hatred but he That is so upon the account of another freely bearing the curse in order to the satisfying Divine Justice and the vindicating the authority of the Law is not The hatred is terminated upon the Sin which is ours and not upon the Person who undertakes to bear the demerit of it and by so doing accomplish the ends which are highly agreeable to the desires of the Supreme Rector The Death of our Blessed Lord upon the Cross tho' it was not the same with Eternal Death yet it was equivalent The want of eternity was compensated by the dignity of the Person who was so contumeliously treated The degrees of suffering are usually estimated by the quality of the person who suffereth A Magistrate suffers more by a contumelious usage than a private Man The Supreme more than he who is subordinate Therefore if he who suffers be infinite in dignity as the Son of God is his punishment must have an infinity in it And an infinite punishment is equipollent to that which is eternal Parallel to this are the words of S. Peter Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree 1 Ep. 2.24 Christ is said to bear our sins that is The punishment of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tulit sursum eundo When he was upon the Cross he had the burden of them upon his shoulders Crellius in order to the disappointing the force of this Text says That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not necessarily denote to bear it may as well be translated to take away but supposing it doth yet it does not follow That the pain he bore was a punishment one may be said to bear the sins of another who falls into any calamity occasioned by them altho' there be nothing of the formality of punishment in it To which I answer That to bear is the proper signification of the word and we are not to depart from the proper import except the circumstances of the place put a necessity upon us The Context is so far from obliging us to any such thing That in case it may be allowed to arbitrate it will determine us to the signification of bearing The scope of the Apostle is to exhort those to whom he writes to bear with patience the sufferings which the profession of the Gospel might expose them to In order to this end he draws an argument from the pattern of our Blessed Lord who did patiently bear the penalty of our sins in his Body on the Tree without any menacing returns to the Authors of his Crucifixion The word in conjunction with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is but once more found in the New Testament and there it has evidently the fence we contend for So Christ was once offered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bear the sins of many and to them which look for him he shall appear the second time without sin Heb. 9.28 Here are two appearances of Christ set opposite one to the other the last without sin that is without bearing the burthen of it and therefore the first was with sin He was burdened with it and did bear the demerit This fence is favoured by the Context He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself v. 26. A Sacrifice did bear the punishment due to him for whom it was offered Crellius overthrows himself in saying That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here signifies to take away for this taking away must be performed upon the Tree But Christ according to his notion did not take away Sin upon the Cross His suffering was but preparatory to his ingress into Heaven where he was first invested with a power to forgive sin S. Peter in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 has a manifest aspect upon the Prophecy of Esaias c. 53.11 He shall bear their iniquities 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a word too stiff to be bent into a compliance with the Socinian
Teachers among you who shall privily bring in damnable Heresies 2 Pet. 2.1 If any of you do err from the truth and one convert him let him know that he which converteth a sinner from the errour of his way shall save a soul from death 1 Pet. 5.19 20. If conversion from errour procures Salvation perseverance in errour must inevitably infer damnation Heresies are reckoned amongst those things which shut men out of the kingdom of Heaven All sins whatsoever spring from errour in the understanding This is expressed in the names which the Scripture gives to sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 1.27 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 9.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an aberration from the mark Sinners are stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unreasonable 2 Thess 3.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without understanding Tit. 3.3 Fools Act. 26.11 A deceived heart is represented as the root of all miscarriages Is 44.19 20. If the fruit be damnable it is no uncharitableness to think the root is so 4. The reason why a just Catalogue of errours damnable to all men cannot be made is because that errour may be damnable to one which is not so to another Obligations to believe spring out of those advantages which Men have to know the mind of God therefore all not enjoying the same advantages cannot lie under an equal obligation Tho' this makes it difficult to give the number of errours yet it is no impediment to the discretion of their quality Number and quality are different modes and fall under distinct perceptions That kind of Locusts which destroyed the fruits of Aegypt were easily distinguish'd from others of the same denomination and yet it was impossible to make a Catalogue of them 5. The fault may be known by the guilty if they please to look back after they have made that which they call a mature search and observe how often they have given their assent before there has been such a degree of clarity in the object as could with justice lay a claim to it Extrinsecal respects and not the merit of the Cause do usually prevail with Men to take up an Opinion and when they have espoused it the often repetition of that which at first they knew to be an uncertainty makes them at last to give credit to it in good earnest Tho' they were Lyars at the beginning yet in the end became believers The best way to discover the deception is to make a review and to consider the first motives which did introduce their credence They are usually some excentrical regards to the persons of some which are under the same perswasion The fallibility of such inducements will give us just reason to look back withdraw our assent and not to terminate it upon any thing for the future but that which doth manifest its truth by undeniable evidence 6. God hath not put us into a state of probability Truths of peremptory necessity are delivered to us in demonstrations If they be hid it is only to those whose eyes are blinded by the God of this World The light of the glorious Gospel is plain and conspicuous enough in it self If every thing must be esteemed probable only against which some luxuriant wits may devise objections the clearest propositions will not arrive at the honour of being accounted certain but must be contented to take their place amongst probabilities It is as easie for a sceptical fancy to raise scruples as for Travellers in dry weather to raise dust in the high way It is reported of Car. Vedel p. 27. Perronius when he had made an Oration before Henry the third of France to prove the existence of the Deity with the great applause of the Auditory he made a tender to speak as much on the contrary side There is nothing more visible to us than local motion and yet the certainty of it has not been exempt from being encountred with opposition Objections are like clouds not all of them obscure the Sun and render his light dubious but those only which lye in a direct line betwixt that Luminary and the visive faculty Many objections may be started on either side but if the splendour of the object be so efficacious as not to permit them to come in a direct line betwixt it and the perceptive faculty they ought not to make any abatement and degrade the object from a state of certainty to a state of probability 7. An erroneous Conscience is no more the true Vicegerent of God than the Pseudo-Smerdis was the Brother of Cambyses or Perkin Warbeck the Son of Edward the fourth An erroneous Conscience is but a Counterfeit and no more to be obeyed than those pretenders If nothing falls under condemnation which is done according to Conscience S. Paul before his conversion was as unblameable as he believed himself to be when he expressed the highest degree of enmity to the Church The Jews also by the same way of arguing will be discharged from all guilt who thought it an acceptable service to God to shed the blood of his Servants Joh. 16.3 Errour in the Conscience is to be resolved into the Will as the spring of it and therefore cannot sanctisie those bad effects which it doth naturally produce Conscience is nothing but the Judgment for the right information of which a sufficient provision is made We then err when we neglect to make use of this provision and acquiesce in sudden dictates grounded upon something which is extrinsecal to the Cause and do not persevere in our scrutiny till matters be brought to such a degree of perspicuity as duely qualifies them for assent I have now finished the first particular Our Light to direct us in the Worship of God is to be directed from the Holy Scripture I will proceed to the next 2. Our strength to perform what we are directed unto we must expect from the Holy Spirit His assistance is either General or Special General Where the Gospel is preached it is accompanied with a Divine Power whereby the hearers are put into a capacity of complying with the demands of it Upon this account it is stiled the Administration of the Spirit the Law of the Spirit of Life the Power of God unto Salvation And Christ is represented as waiting to see what improvement will be made of it Behold I stand at the door and knock And those who frustrate the Divine Call are said to resist the Holy Ghost And those who are obedient to be begotten again by the Word which is a work appropriated to the Spirit as the principal Agent Such persons have a power to know That there is a Supreme Being which governs the World to discern their own iniquity in breaking those Laws by which he governs to be filled with consternation upon the account of the eternal pains which the Gospel threatens to the disobedient to have some hope of Amnesty and forgiveness in consideration of the Evangelical Promises and under these dispositions to
third and fourth generation That one may be punished for another was not accounted unjust amongst those who were governed by the light of Nature as is evident by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or sureties in capital matters which did engage life for life There can be no pretence of injury where the person suffering freely consents and has a dominion over his own life he having power to dispose of himself in his submission to the greatest passion he does no injury to any other and he consenting upon the clearest considerations no injury is done to himself When the understanding is weak and not a competent guide an injury may be done altho' the party concerned be willing But the case before us is quite otherwise Our Blessed Lord upon the clearest dictate of reason became willing to bear our sins He did in this comply with the propensities of his own benignity serve the necessities of Mankind justifie publick Order and assert the Majesty of the Law against all that contempt which our Sins had exposed it unto The Premises being well considered will make it manifest That Christ suffered the punishment of our Sins 2. What He suffered was in our stead This will be evident if we consider his blood which he shed either as a Sacrifice or a ransom as a Sacrifice The offering which he made to God was expiatory a Sacrifice for sin Heb. 10.20 This oblation must necessarily have the nature which is common to all offerings under the Old Testament of the same kind They were figures of this great Oblation and there must be an agreement betwixt the Type and the thing typified in that which is essential to the nature of the Type Now it is manifest That all the expiatory offerings in the Old Testament were in lieu of those persons for whom they were offered The Law did require death of every one that did not remain in the obedience of it The offences against it were of two sorts either such as were punished with the death of the offender as Murder and Idolatry c. without the benefit of Sacrifice Or else such for the expiation of which a Sacrifice was appointed and slain in the room of the Transgressour The blood of the beast in which the life consists was given upon the Altar to make atonement for the Souls of Men Lev. 17.11 As the Law was satisfied by the death of the offender in the first case So likewise by the death of the Sacrifice in the second The sin of the Delinquent was symbolically derived upon the Piacular Sacrifice and therefore he which carried the skin and flesh without the Camp to be burnt did by touching of them contract pollution and might not be admitted into the Camp again before he had washed his cloaths and bathed his flesh in water Lev. 16.28 This was the cause why he for whom the offering was made was obliged to lay his hand upon the head of it Theodoret says That the hand did import action and signifie That the actions of the Transgressour were laid upon the Sacrifice This was the apprehension of the ancient Jews as is evident by the form of words used when a sin-offering was made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haec sit expiatio mea which they expound thus The evil which I have deserved let it fall upon the head of the Sacrifice Now If the expiatory offerings under the Mosaical Oeconomy were Types of the offering of Jesus Christ and it was essential to them to be slain in the room of the Transgressour we have just reason from hence to infer That our blessed Lord suffered not only for our good and advantage but in our stead and place In order to the disappointing the force of this argument Crellius says That Christ was not a Priest till he came into Heaven and that those Sacrifices only which were offered for the whole Congregation and at some stated times especially That upon the day of expiation were Types of his oblation and that those which were designed for this use did not represent him in his mactation but in that one action only whereby their blood was carried into the holy place and sprinkled before the Lord. To all which I will reply in order 1. Christ did execute the office of a Priest here upon the earth The Apostle says he gave himself as an Offering and Sacrifice unto God Eph. 5.2 The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports such a Sacrifice as is put to death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jo. 10. v. 10. Reconciliation the proper effect of a Sacrifice is attributed to the blood of the Cross Col. 1.20 His purging our sins did precede his sitting down on the right hand of the Majesty on high Heb. 1.3 His having obtained eternal redemption is antecedent to his entring into the holy place Heb. 9.12 He is said to be once offered up Heb. 9.28 And after this to sit down at the right hand of God Heb. 10.12 If this offering has been in Heaven it would not have been said to have been once done The representation of this oblation there is every day He continually makes intercession The offering upon which the Apostles words have an aspect imports passion For he says in case it was to be repeated then Christ must have often suffered since the foundation of the World but the Passion of Christ was over before he entred into Heaven Those words If he were on earth he should not be a Priest Heb. 8.4 do not imply That he did not execute his Sacerdotal Function when he was upon the earth All that can be collected from them is That if after he had made an offering upon the Cross he had remained upon the earth he could not have been our High-Priest Because He who was to bear this office was not only to die for us upon the Earth but to appear in Heaven and there by presenting the merit of that oblation which was made here below procure those aids which we stand in need of 2. Those Sacrifices which were offered for the whole Congregation at some set times were not the only Types of the offering of the Messias The Apostle when he tells us That the Sacrifice of Christ was substituted in the room of the Legal Offerings and that the first was taken away that the second might be established Heb. 10.9 He must necessarily have his eye upon such oblations which as if they were shadows which when the body came did disappear and vanish Now it is plain That the Apostle there has his eye upon more Sacrifices than those which were offered for the whole Congregation He useth so many words as can comprehend no less than all the Mosaical Oblations as Sacrifice Offering Burnt-offerings Offering for sin 3. It is not true That those Sacrifice which typified Christ did represent him only in that action whereby the blood was carried into the holy place and sprinkled before the Lord. The