' Owen, in all probability, alludes to his " Diatriba de Justitia Divina." See vol. X. of his Works. — Ec.
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whereof he was discoursing is the necessity of the satisfaction of Christ, and that must be it which he maketh his inference from ; but the passage he insists on, he lays down as expressive of the end of God's patience and forbearance towards sinners, which here is of no place nor consideration. But so it falls out, that he is seldom at any agreement with himself in any parts of his discourse ; the reason whereof I do somewhat more than guess at. However, for the pas- sage which he cites out of my discourse, I like it so well, as that I shall not trouble myself to inquire whether it be there or no, or on what occasion it is introduced. The words are, — " That God hath, in his justice, wisdom, and goodness, taken a course that we should not be destroyed, notwithstanding our sins" (that is, to save sinners) ; " for he that believeth, although he be a sinner, shall be saved ; and he that believeth not shall be damned," as one hath assured us, whom I desire to believe and trust unto. If this be not so, what will be- come of this man and myself, with all our writings? for I know that we are both sinners ; and if God will not save us, or deliver us from destruction, notwithstanding our sins, — that is, pardon them through the bloodshed ding of Jesus Christ, wherein we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins, — it had been better for us that we had never been bom. And I do yet again say, that God doth not, that he Avill not, pardon the least sin, Avithout respect unto the satisfaction of Christ, according as the apostle declares, 2 Cor. v. 18-21; and the expression which must be set on the other side, on the supposition Avhereof the greatest sin can do us no harm, is this man's addition, which his usual respect unto tnith hath produced. But, withal, I never said, I never wrote, that the only supposition of the satisfac- tion of Christ is sufficient of itself to free us from destruction by sin. There is, moreover, required on our part, faith and repentance ; with- out which we can have no advantage by it, or interest in it. But he seems to understand by that expression, " notwithstanding our sins," though we should live and die in our sins without faith, repentance, or new obedience; for he supposeth it sufficient to manifest the folly of this assertion, to mention that declaration of the mind of Christ in the gospel, that " without holiness no man shall see God." I wonder whether he thinks that those who believe the satisfaction of Christ, and the necessity thereof, wherein God " made him to be sin Avho knew no sin, that Ave might be made the righteousness of God in him," do believe that the personal holiness of men is [not] indis- pensably necessary unto the pleasing and enjoyment of God. If he suppose that the satisfaction of Christ and the necessity of our personal holiness are really inconsistent, lie must be treated in another manner: if he suppose that altli-ough they are consistent, yet those Avhom he opposeth do so trust to the satisfaction of Christ, as to judge that
THE PRECEDING DISCOUESE. 297
faith, repentance, and holiness, are not indispensably necessary to sal- vation, he manifests how well skilled he is in their principles and practices. I have always looked on it as a piece of the highest dis- ingenuity among the Quakers, that when any one pleads for the satis- faction of Christ or the imputation of his righteousness, they will cla- morously cry out, and hear nothing to the contrary, " Yea, you are for the saving of polluted, defiled sinners ; let men live in theu- sins and be all foul within, it is no matter, so long as they have a right- eousness and a Clirist without them." I have, I say, always looked upon it as a most disingenuous procedure in them, seeing no one is catechised amongst us, who knoweth not that we press a necessity of sanctitication and holiness, equal with that of justification and right- eousness. And yet this very course is here steered by this author, contrary to the constant declaration of the judgments of them with whom he hath to do, — contrary to the common evidence of their wiitings, preaching, praying, disputing unto another purpose; and that without relieving or countenancing himself by any one word or ex- pression used or uttered by them. He chargeth [them] as though they made hoHness a very indifferent thing, and such as it doth not much concern any man whether he have an interest in or no ; and I know not whether is more marvellous unto me, that some men can so far concoct all principles of conscience and modesty as to publish such slanderous untruths, or that others can take contentment and satisfaction therein, who cannot but understand their disingenuity and falsehood.
His proceed in the same page is to except against that revelation of the wisdom of God which I afiirm to have been made in the per- son and sufferings of Christ, which I thought I might have asserted Avithout offence. But tliis man will have it, that " there is no wis- dom therein, if justice be so natural to God, that nothing could satisfy him but the death of his own Son." That any thing else could satisfy divine justice but the sufferings and death of the Son of God, so far as I know, he is the first that found out or discovered, if he hath yet found it out. Some have imagined that God will pardon sin, and doth so, without any satisfaction at all; and some have thought that other ways of the reparation of lost mankind were possible, Avithout this satisfaction of divine justice, which yet God in his wisdom deter- mined on; but that satisfaction could be any otherwise made to divine justice, but by the death of the Son of God incarnate, none have used to say who know what they say in these things. " But wisdom," he saith, " consists in the choice of the best and fittest means to attaui an end, when there were more ways than one of doing it; but it re- quires no great wisdom to choose when there is but one possible way." Yea, this it is to measure God,— things infinite and divine, by our-