unto them that look for him, fhall be appear the Second time without Sin unto Salvation: That by one Offering he hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified. All the Sacrifices of the Law are reprefented as Types and Figures of the great Sacrifice of the Crofs, he is our Atonement, our Propitiation, our Peace, who hath made Peace through the Blood of his Crofs. Whoever reads these and such Texts, wherewith the Gofpel and Epiftles abound, would think it impoffible to raise any Difpute about this Matter, whether the Death of Chrift be a true and proper Sacrifice for the Sins of the World; whether our Sins are expiated, and God atoned and reconciled to Sinners by the fhedding of his Blood; and yet there is nothing, which the perverse Wits of Men have more perplexed and entangled: Not that the Scripture is not fufficiently plain, but they defire to know what God hath not thought fit to tell them, and reject what is plainly revealed, because they cannot fatisfy their Reason about the Philofophy of Chrift's Death and Sacrifice. As if fuch little Creatures as we are, fhould be able to comprehend the Reasons, and fathom the Depths of the divine Will and Counfels. I fhall give you as plain and brief an Account of this Matter, as I can, that you may the better understand what I have to fay in this Caufe.

Some there are, who think this a very incredible Story, that the Son of God fhould become Man, and die upon the Crofs, as an expiatory Sacrifice for the Sins of Men; because they can by no means understand, what neceffity there is for any Satisfaction to be made to God for the Sins of Men: For cannot God, who is the fupreme unaccountable Lord and Judge of the

World,

World, forgive Sin if he pleafes, without any Sacrifice or Expiation, when every Prince, nay every private Man in his own Caufe, can do this when he fees fit, and is thought to do very well in it? And if God has fuch a tender Compaffion for Sinners, as this Account of the Death of Christ represents him to have, is it not much more credible, that he fhould forgive all truly penitent and reformed Sinners without a Sacrifice, than expofe his only beloved Son to a painful and infamous Death, when he could have forgiven Sin without it?

As for that Neceffity of Satisfaction, which fome refolve into a natural vindictive Juftice in God, which cannot forgive Sin without executing a juft Vengeance against it, either in the Perfon of a Sinner, or his Surety and Sacrifice; this they think makes a very terrible Reprefentation of God, and contradicts all the Notions Mankind have of his Goodness, and Readiness to forgive. For how frightful is it to think that we have to do with a God, who cannot forgive without exacting the utmost Punishment that every Sin deserves? And who will call this Forgiveness, to punish no more, when we have punished as much as juftly we can? And yet the Scripture magnifies the Grace and Goodnefs of God in forgiving our Sins for Chrift's Sake, notwithstanding that Chrift died to make Atonement for our Sins.

Nor can they poffibly understand, how bearing the Punishment of Sin makes Satisfaction for it; for is any Man satisfied for the Injury he fuffers, that he, who did the Injury, fuffers for it as he deferves? Does any Man think this a Reafon to forgive and to be reconciled to the injurious Perfon, that he has fuffered for the In

jury

jury he has done? Is not every good Man much better fatisfied with Repentance, and Reparation of the Injury, and the Amendment of the injurious Perfon, without his fuffering, than with his fuffering without Repentance and Amendment? That Repentance and Amendment feem the only natural Attonement and Expiation of Sin, because that alone can repair the Injury, and attone, and pacify, and reconcile. the injur'd Perfon. It contradicts, they fay, the effential Notions both of Juftice and Goodnefs, and is infinitely unworthy of the Juftice and Goodness of God, to place the Satisfaction for Sin merely in the Satisfaction of Revenge; and yet they cannot conceive what other Satiffaction the mere bearing the Punishment of Sin can make to vindictive Juftice. And yet, were this the true Notion of Satisfaction, they fay it utterly destroys the Satisfaction of a Sacrifice, let the Sacrifice be what it will; for though Punifhment might be transferred, Revenge can't, which can no more change its Object, than Anger or Love; and Punishment without Revenge is no Satisfaction to vindictive Juftice: Much lefs could the Son of God, his only begotten and well beloved Son, be the Object of fuch a Revenge, and that, when he did the moft acceptable Service to his Father, and exercised the profoundeft Humility, Self-denial, Patience, Obedience, and Refignation to the Will of God, and the most perfect Truft and Affiance in him; for which God bath highly exalted him, and given him a Name, which is above every Name; which is no great Argument, that he was the Object of his Wrath and Vengeance upon the Crofs, when he exalted him from the U Crofs

Crófs to his own Throne, and fet him at his own Right Hand.

But whatever Satisfaction be due to vindictive Juftice, why, fay they, would no lefs Sacrifice than the eternal Son of God be accepted for the Sins of Men? What Proportion is here, between God and Creatures, that the Son of God muft die to deliver Men from Death? And what Juftice, where there is no Proportion? To refolve this into the infinite Demerit of Sin, as committed against the infinite Majesty of God, and therefore requiring an infinite Sacrifice to expiate it, they fay, is no Scripture Account of Chrift's Death, and introduces upon other Principles a Stoical Equality of all Sins; for if the infinite Majefty of God, whom we offend by our Sins, gives an infinite Demerit to every Sin, then all Sins are equal, and deférve an equal Punishment, unlefs we will allow of Degrees in Infinite. Nay, by the fame Reafon every virtuous Action muft have an infinite Merit too, as it refpects the infinite Majefty of God; which deftroys all the Degrees of Virtue and Vice, and the Juftice of Government, in proportioning Rewards and Punishments to Men's Deferts. Nay, if this were true, it would prove the quite contrary to what it is intended for. For if a finite Perfon may merit infinitely of God, there is no need that an infinite Perfon, as the Son of God is, fhould die as a Sacrifice for Sin, fince a finite Perfon may offer a Sacrifice of infinite Merit; for the infinite Majefty of God, to whom it is offered, according to this way of Reafoning, muft give an infinite Merit to it. But indeed the Foundation of all this is naught: For though the Quality and Character of the Perfon

does

does proportionably aggravate every Offence, which immediately refpects his Perfon and Character, yet every Act of Difobedience is not Crimen læfæ Majeftatis, a direct Affront and Injury to Majefty: The Authority of a Prince is concerned in all his Laws, but yet the Breach of no Law is Treafon, but what immediately concerns the Life, Authority, or Government of the Prince: Thus every Sin is an Act of Difobedience to God, but not a direct and defigned Affront to his infinite Majesty; and therefore the Demerit of Sin muft be measured by the Nature of the Action, not by the Majefty of God.

These are the Difficulties which attend the Notion of Satisfaction, as founded in vindictive Juftice; and therefore others refolve the Neceffity of Satisfaction into the Reasons of Government: That God is not to be confidered in this Matter as the Pars lafa, the offended Party, or as a Creditor to whom we owe the Punishment of our Sins, but as a Rector or Governor. They grant in the firft Senfe, that God might have forgiven Sin, had he fo pleafed, without a Sacrifice, but the wife Government, of the World would not allow it: It was neceffary, they fay, for God to maintain the Authority of his Laws and Government, and to deter Men from Sin by fome vifible Execution of his Juftice: And yet to invite Sinners to Repentance by the highest Affurances of Pardon and Forgiveness; and nothing could fo perfectly answer thefe Ends, as to give his own Son a Sacrifice for Sin, in whofe Death and Sufferings he has declared his fierceft Anger and Difpleafure against Sin; which he would not forgive without the Death of his own Son; and yet has given