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wherein sinners may be interested in this satisfaction made Ly Christ, are determined by the will of God, and declared in the Scripture.
These, and the like things, are usually insisted on in the explica- tion or declaration of this head of our confession ; and there is not any of them but may be sufficiently confirmed by divine testimonies. It may also be farther evinced, that there is nothing asserted in them, but what is excellently suited unto the common notions which man- kind hath of God and his righteousness; and that in their practice they answer the light of nature and common reason, exemplified in sundry instances among the nations of the world.
I shall therefore take one argiiment from some of the testimonies before produced in the confirmation of this sacred truth, and proceed to remove the objections that are commonly bandied against it.
If the Lord Christ, according to the will of the Father, and by his own counsel and choice, was substituted, and did substitute himself, as the mediator of the covenant, in the room and in the stead of sinners, that they might be saved, and therein bare their sins, or the punishment due unto their sins, by undergoing the curse and penalty of the law, and therein also, according to the will of God, offered up himself for a propitiatory, expiatory sacrifice, to make atonement for sin, and reconciliation for sinners, that the justice of God being ap- peased, and the law fulfilled, they might go free, or be delivered from the wrath to come ; and if therein, also, he paid a real satisfactory price for their redemption ; then he made satisfaction to God for sin : for these are the things that we intend by that expression of satis- faction. But now all these things are openly and fully witnessed unto in the testimonies before produced, as may be observed by suit- ing some of them unto the several particulars here asserted: —
As, 1. What was done in this matter, was from the will, purpose, and love of God the Father, Ps. xl. 6-8 ; Heb. x. 5-7 ; Acts iv. 28 ; John iii. 1 6 ; Rom. viii. 3.
2. It was also done by his own voluntary consent, Phil. ii. 6-8.
3. He was substituted, and did substitute himself, as the mediator of the covenant, in the room and stead of sinners, that they may be saved, Heb. x. 5-7, vii. 22; Rom. iii. 25, 26, v. 7, 8.
4. And he did therein bear their sins, or the punishment due to their sins, Isa. Hii. 6, 11; 1 Pet. ii. 24. And this, —
5. By undergoing the curse and penalty of the law, Gal. iii. 13; or the punishment of i:;in required by the law, 2 Cor. v. 21 ; Rom. viii. 3.
6. Herein, also, according to the will of God, he offered up him- self a propitiatory and expiatory sacrifice, to make atonement for sin and reconciliation for sinners, Eph. v. 6 ; Rom. v. 6 ; Heb. ix. 11-14; — which he did, that the justice of God being satisfied, and
426 OF THE SATISFACTION OF CHRIST.
the law fulfilled, sinners miglit be freed from the wrath to come, Rom. iii. 25; 1 Thess. i. 10.
7. And hereby also he paid a real price of redemption for sin and sinners, 1 Pet. i. 18, 19; 1 Cor. vi. 20. These are the things which we are to believe concerning the satisfaction of Christ. And our ex- plication of this doctrine we are ready to defend when called there- unto.
The consideration of the objections which are raised against this great fundamental truth shall close this discourse. And they are of two sorts: — First, In general, to the whole doctrine, as declared, or some of the more signal heads or parts of it. Secondly, Particular instances in this or that supposal, as consequences of the doctrine as- serted. And, in general, —
First, they say, " This is contrary to, and inconsistent with, the love, grace, mercy, and goodness of God, which are so celebrated in the Scripture as the principal jyroperties of his nature and acts of his luill tuherein he will be glorified; — especially contrary to the freedom of forgiveness, which we are encouraged to expect, and commanded to believe." And this exception they endeavour to firm by testimonies that the Lord is good and gracious, and that he doth freely forgive us our sins and trespasses.
Ans. 1. I readily grant that whatever is really contrary to the grace, goodness, and mercy of God, whatever is inconsistent with the free forgiveness of sin, is not to be admitted; for these things are fully revealed in the Scripture, and must have a consistency with whatever else is therein revealed of God or his will.
2. As God is good, and gracious, and merciful, so also he is holy, righteous, true, and faithful. And these things are no less revealed concerning him than the others; and are no less essential properties of his nature than his goodness and grace. And avS they are all es- sentially the same in him, and considered only under a different habitude or respect, as they are exerted by acts of his will; so it be- longs to his infinite wisdom, that the effects of them, though divers, and produced by divers ways and means, may no way be contrary one to the other, but that mercy be exercised without the prejudice of justice or holiness, and justice be preserved entire, without any obstruction to the exercise of mercy.