was consulted, contrived, and settled, and Christ appointed to be the author of it; and who, in the fulness of time, was sent and came about it, and has obtained it; and which is ascribed to his blood, his sufferings and death, which were necessary for the accomplishment of it.

Some have affirmed, that God could forgive sin, and save sinners without a satisfaction; and this is said, not only by Socinians, but by some others, as Twisse, Dr. Goodwin, Rutherford, &c. who own that a satisfaction is made, and the fitness and expedience of it: but then this is giving up the point; for if it is fitting and expedient to be done, it is necessary; for whatever is fitting to be done in the affair of salvation, God cannot but do it, or will it to be done. Besides, such a way of talking, as it tends to undermine and weaken the doctrine of satisfaction; so to encourage and strengthen the hands of the Socinians, the opposers of it; much the same arguments being used by the one, as by the other. It is not indeed proper to limit the holy One of Israel, or lay a restraint on his power, which is unlimited, boundless, and infinite; with whom nothing is impossible, and who is able to do more than we can conceive of; yet it is no ways. derogatory to the glory of his power, nor is it any impeachment of it, nor argues any imperfection or weakness in him, to say there are some things he cannot do; for not to be able to do them is his glory; as that he cannot commit iniquity, which is contrary to the purity and holiness of his nature; he cannot do an act of injustice to any of his creatures, that is contrary to his justice and righteousness; he cannot lie, that is contrary to his veracity and truth; he cannot deny himself, for that is against his nature and perfections; and for the same reason he cannot forgive sin without a satisfaction, because so to do, does not agree with the perfections of his nature. It is a vain thing to dispute about the power of God, what he can do, or what he cannot do, in any case where it is plain, what it is his will to do, as it is in the case before us; at the same time he declared himself a God gracious and merciful, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin; he has, in the strongest terms, affirmed, that he will by no means clear the guilty; or let him go unpunished; that is, without a satisfaction. Be-1 sides, if any other method could have been taken, consistent with the will of God, the prayer of Christ would have brought it out; Father, if it be possible, let this cup, of suffering death, pass from me: and then adds, not my will, but thine be done! what that will was, is notorious; see Heb. x. 5-10. It may be said, this is to make God weaker than man, and to represent him as not able to do what man can do; one man can forgive another the debts that are owing to him; and in some cases he should, and is to be commended for it; and one may forgive another an offence committed against himself, and ought to do it; especially when the offender expresses repentance. But it should be observed, that sins are not pecuniary debts, and to be remitted as they are: they are not properly debts, only so called allusively: if they were proper debts, they might be paid in their kind, one sin by committing another, which is absurd; but they.

are called debts, because as debts oblige to payment, these oblige to punishment; which debt of punishment must be paid, either, by the debtor, the sinner, or by a surety for him; sins are criminal debts, and can be remitted no other way. God, therefore, in this affair, is to be considered not merely as a creditor, but as the Judge of all the earth, who will do right; and as the Rector and Governor of the world; that great Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy; who will secure his own authority as such, do justice to himself, and honour to his law, and shew a proper concern for the good of the community, or universe, of which he is the moral Governor. So though one man may forgive another a private offence, committed against himself, as it is an injury to him, yet he cannot forgive one as it is an injury to the commonwealth, of which he is a part; a private person as he cannot execute vengeance and wrath, or inflict punishment on an offender; so neither can he, of right, let go unpunished, one that has offended against the peace and good of the commonwealth; these are things that belong to the civil magistrate, to one in power and authority: and a judge that acts under another, and according to a law which he is obliged to regard, can neither inflict punishment, nor remit it, especially the latter, without the order of his superior. God indeed, is not under another; he is of himself, and can do what he pleases; he is the Maker and Judge of the law, but then he is a law to himself; his nature is his law, and he cannot act contrary to that; where. fore, as Joshua says, he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions, nor your sins; that is, without a satisfaction; and which comports with his own honour and glory; of which he is a jealous God. Sin is crimen læse Majestatis; a crime committed against the majesty of God; it disturbs the universe, of which he is Governor, and tends to shake and overthrow his moral government of the world; to introduce, atheism into it, and. bring it into disorder and confusion, and to withdraw creatures from their dependence on God, and obedience to him, as the moral Governor of it; and there fore requires satisfaction, and an infinite one, as the object of it is; and cannot be made, but by an infinite Person, as Christ is: such a satisfaction the honour of the divine Being, and of his tighteous law, transgressed by sin, requires, Which leads to observe, that to forgive sin, without a satisfaction, does not accord with the perfections of God.

I. Not with his justice and holiness; God is naturally and essentially just and holy; all his ways and works proclaim him to be so; and his creatures own it, angels and men, good and bad; as he is righteous, he naturally loves righteousness; and naturally hates evil, and cannot but shew his hatred of it; and which is shewn by punishing it. God is a consuming fire; and as fire naturally burns combustible matter, so it is natural to God to punish sin. Wherefore, punitive justice, though denied', in order to subvert the satisfaction of Christ, is natural and essential to him; he cannot but punish sin: it is a righteous thing with him to do it; the justice of God requires it; and there is no salvation without bearSocin. Prælection. ut supra, c. 16. Racov. Cateches. c. 8. qu, 20.

ing it; and he is praised and applauded for it, by saints and holy angels; and to do otherwise, or not to punish sin, would be acting against himself and his own glory.

11, To forgive sin, without satisfaction for it, does not agree with his veracity, truth, and faithfulness, with respect to his holy and righteous law: it became him, as the Governor of the universe, to give a law to his creatures: for where there is no law, there is no transgression; men may sin with impunity, no charge can be brought againt them; sin is not imputed, where there is no law; bu God has given a law, which is holy, just, and good; and which shews what is his good and perfect will; and this law has a sanction annexed to it, as every law should have, or it will be of no force to oblige to an observance of it, and deter from disobedience to it; and the sanction of the law of God, is nothing less than death, than death eternal; which is the just wages, and proper demerit of sin, and which God has declared he will inflict upon the transgressor; In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die: now the veracity, truth, and faithfulness of God, are engaged to see this sanction established, and threatening executed; either upon the transgressor himself, or upon a surety for him; for the judgment of God is, that such a person is worthy of death; and his judgment is according to truth; and will and does most certainly take place.

III. The wisdom of God makes it necessary that sin should not be forgiven, without a satisfaction; for it is not the wisdom of any legislature, to suffer the law not to take place in a delinquer.t; it is always through weakness that it is admitted, either through fear, or through favour and affection; and this may be called tenderness, lenity, and clemency; but it is not justice: and it tends to weaken the authority of the legislator, to bring government under contempt, and to embolden transgressors of the law, in hope of impunity. The all-wise Law-giver can never be thought to act such a part: besides, the scheme of men's peace and reconciliation by Christ, is represented as the highest act of wisdom, known to be wrought by God; for herein he has abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence: but where is the consummate wisdom of it, if it could have been in an easier way, at less expence, without the sufferings and death of his Son? had there been another and a better way, infinite wisdom would have 'found it out, and divine grace and mercy would have pursued it.

Iv. Nor does it seem so well to comport with the great love and affection of 'God, to his Son Jesus Christ, said to be his beloved Son, the dear Son of his love; to send him into this world in the likeness of sinful flesh-to be vilified and abused by the worst of men-to be buffeted, lashed, and tortured, by a set of miscreants and to put him to the most cruel and shameful death, to make reconciliation for sin, if sin could have been forgiven, and the sinner saved, without all this, by a hint, a nod, a word speaking; Thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be saved! Nor does it so fully express the love of God to his saved ones; but tends to lessen and lower that love. God giving his Son to suffer

and die, in the room and stead of sinners, and to be the propitiation for their sins, is always ascribed to the love of God, and represented as the strongest expression of it! But where is the greatness of this love, if salvation could have been done at an easier rate? and, indeed, if it could have been done in another way the greatness of it appears, in that either the sinner must die, or Christ die for him; such was the love of God, that he chose the latter! To all this may be added, as evincing the necessity of a satisfaction for sin, that there is something of it appears by the very light of nature, in the heathens, who have nothing else, to direct them; they are sensible by it, when sin is committed, deity is offended; else what mean those accusations of conscience upon sinning, and dreadful horrors and terrors of mind? witness also, the various, though foolish and fruitless methods they have taken, to appease the anger of God; as even to give their first-born for their transgression, and the fruit of their body for the sin of their souls; which shews their sense of a necessity of making some sort of satisfaction for offences committed; and of appeasing justice, or vengeance, as they call their deity, Acts xxviii. 4. The several sacrifices of the Jews, they were directed to under the former dispensation, plainly shew the necessity of a satisfaction for sin; and plainly point out forgiveness of sin, as proceeding upon it; though they themselves could not really, only typically, expiate sin, make atonement and satisfaction for it. But if God could forgive sin without any satisfaction at all, why not forgive it upon the foot of those sacrifices? the reason is plain, because he could not, consistent with himself, do it without the sacrifice of his Son, typified by them. Wherefore it may be strongly concluded, that a plenary satisfaction for sin, by what Christ has done and suffered, was absolutely necessary to the forgiveness of sin; without shedding of blood is no remission, neither typical nor real; without it there never was never will be, nor never could be, any forgiveness of sin.

II. The ground and foundation of satisfaction for sin by Christ, and the cause and spring of it.

First, The ground and foundation on which it is laid, and upon which it proceeds, are the council and covenant of grace, and the suretyship-engagements of Christ therein.

1. The scheme of making peace with God, or of appeasing divine justice, and of making reconciliation for sin, that is, satisfaction for it, was planned in the everlasting council; which, from thence is called, the council of peace, Zech. vi. 13. God was then in Christ, or with Christ, reconciling the world, the whole number of the elect, to himself; that is, they were consulting together to form the plan of their reconciliation and salvation; and the method they pitched upon was, not imputing their trespasses to them; not to reckon and place to their account, their sins and iniquities, and insist upon a satisfaction for them from themselves; for God knew, that if he made a demand of satisfaction for them on them, they could not answer him, one man of a thousand, no, not one at all; nor for one sin of a thousand, no, not for a single one; and that if he brough

a charge of sin against them, they must be condemned; for they would not be able to give one reason, or say any thing on their own behalf, why judgment should not proceed against them; wherefore, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? since God will not, whoever does, it will be of no avail against them; for it is God that justifies them: and happy are the persons interested in this glorious scheme, to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and it was also farther devised in this council, to impute the trasgressions of the said persons to Christ, the Son of God, which, though not expressed in the text referred to, 2 Cor. v. 19. yet it is implied and understood, and in clear and fulf terms signified, in the verse following but one, in which the account of the scheme of reconciliation is continued; For he hath made him to be sin for us. who knew no sin: that is, the sinless Jesus, who was made sin, not inherenti, by a transfusion of sin into him, which his holy nature would not admit of; but imputatively, by a transfer of the guilt of sin unto him, by placing it to his account, and making him answerable for it; which was done, not merely at the time of his sufferings aud death, though then God openly and manifestly laid 1.p on him, or made to meet on him, the iniquity of us all, of all the Lord's people, when the chastizement of their peace was on him; or the punishment of their sin was inflicted on him, to make peace for them; but as early as the council of peace was held, and the above method was concerted and agreed to, or Christ became a Surety fos his people, so early were their sins imputed to him, and he became responsible for them; and this laid the foundation of his making satisfaction for sin. For,

II. The scheme drawn in council, was settled in covenant; which, on that account, is called the covenant of peace, Isai. liv. 10. Mal. ii. 5. in which covenant Christ was called to be a Priest; for Christ glorified not himself to be called one; but his father bestowed this honour on him, and consecrated, constituted and ordained him a Priest with an oath, Psal. cx. 4. Now the principal business of a priest, was to make reconciliation and atonement for sin; for the sake of this Christ was called to this office; and it was signified to him in covenant, that he should not offer such sacrifices and offerings as were offered up under the law, which could not take away sin, or atone for it; and though God would have these offered, as typical of Christ's atoning sacrifice, from the beginning, throughout the former dispensation, to the coming of Christ; yet it. was not his will that any of this sort should be offered by him; Sacrifice and offerings thou wouldst not: and therefore, though Christ was a Priest, he never offered any legal sacrifice; but when any thing of this kind was necessary to be done for persons he was concerned with, he always sent them to carry their offerings to a priest; as in the case of cleansing lepers, a sacrifice of another kind, and to answer a greater purpose, was to be offered by him, and which in covenant was provided; A body hast thou prepared me, which is put for the whole human nature; for not the body of Christ only, but His soul also, were made an offering for sin, Isai. liii. 10. and this offering for sin, was made by Christ's