Ans. This is but a bold repetition of what, in other words, was mentioned before over and over. Wherein the love of God in this matter consisted, and what is the obhgation on us unto thankfulness and obedience, hath been before also declared ; and we are not to be moved in fundamental truths by vain exclamations of weak and unstable men. It is said, —
Ninthly, " That God's justice is satisfied for sins past, present, and to come, whereby God and Christ have lost both their poiuer of enjoining godliness and prerogative of p^mishing disobedience ; for what is once paid, is not revocable, and if punishment should arrest any for their debts, it argues a breach on God or Christ's part, or else that it hath not been sufficiently solved, and the penalty com- plete sustained by another."
Ans. The intention of this pretended consequence of our doctrine is, that, upon a supposition of satisfaction made by Christ, there is no solid foundation remaining for the prescription of faith, repentance, and obedience, on the one hand ; or of punishing them who refuse so to obey, believe, or repent, on the other. The reason of this inference insinuated seems to be this, — that sin being satisfied for, cannot be called again to an account. For the former part of the pretended consequence, — namely, that on this supposition there is no foundation
433 OF THE SATISFACTION OF CHRIST.
left for the prescription of godliness, — I cannot discern any thing iu the least looking toAvards the confirmation of it in the words of the objection laid down. But these things are quite otherwise; as is manifest unto them that read and obe}' the gospel. For, — 1. Christ's satisfaction for sins acquits not the creature of that dependence on God, and duty which he owes to God, which (notwithstanding that) God may justly, and dotli prescribe unto him, suitable to his own nature, holiness, and will. The whole of our regard unto God doth not lie in an acquitment from sin. It is, moreover, required of us, as a necessary and indispensable consequence of the relation Avherein we stand unto him, that we live to him and obey him, whether sin be satisfied for or no. The manner and measure hereof are to be regulated by his prescriptions, which are suited to his own wisdom and our condition; and they are now referred to the heads men- tioned, oifaitli, repentance, and neiu obedience. 2. The satisfaction made for sin being not made by the sinner himself, there must of necessity be a rule, order, and law-constitution, how the sinner may come to be interested in it, and made partaker of it. For the conse- quent of the freedom of one by the suffering of another is not natural or necessary, but must proceed and arise from a law-constitution, compact, and agreement. Now, the way constituted and appointed is that of faith, or believing, as explained m the Scripture. If men believe not, they are no less liable to the punislmaent due to thek sins than if no satisfaction at all were made for sinners. And whereas it is added, " Forgetting that every one must appear before the judg- ment-seat of Christ, to receive accot'ding to the things done in the body, yea, and every one tnust give an account of himself to God;" closing all with this, " But many more are the gross absurdities and blasjiheinies that are the gemiine fruits of this so confidently-be- lieved doctrine of satisfaction :" I say it is, — 8. Certain that we must all appear before the judgiiient-seat of Christ, to receive according to the things done in the body; and therefore, woe will be unto them at the gi'eat day who are not able to plead the atonement made for their sins by the blood of Christ, and an evidence of their mterest therein by their faith and obedience, or the things done and Avrought in them and by them whilst they were in the body here in this world. And this it would better become these persons to betake themselves unto the consideration of, than to exercise themselves unto an unparalleled confidence in reproaching those with absurdities and blasphemies who believe; the Deity and satisfaction of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who died for us ; which is the ground and bottom of all our expectation of a blessed life and immortality to come.
The removal of these objections against the truth, scattered of late
■ OF THE SATISFACTION OF CHRIST. 4S9
up and dov\'n in the hands of all sorts of men, may suffice for our present purpose. If any amongst these men judge that they haA'e an ability to manage the opposition against the truth as declared by us, with such pleas, arguments, and exceptions, as may pretend an interest in appearmg reason, they shall, God assisting, be attended unto. With men given up to a spirit of railing or reviling, — though it be no small honour to be reproached by them who reject with sconi the etei'nal Deity of the Son of God, and the satisfactory atone- ment that he made for the sins of men, — no person of sobriety wDl contend. And I shall farther only desire the reader to take notice, that though these few sheets were written in a few hours, upon the de- sire and for the satisfaction of some private friends, and therefore contain merely an expression of present thoughts, without the least design or diversion of mind towards accuracy or ornament; yet the author is so far confident that the tnith, and nothing else, is proposed and confirmed in them, that he fears not but that an opposition to what is here declared will be removed, and the truth reinforced in such a way and manner as may not be to its disadvantage.