Secondly, The satisfaction of Christ, by the payment of the same thing that was required in the obligation, is no way prejudicial to that free, gracious condonation of sin so often mentioned. God's gracious pardoning of sin.compiiseth the whole dispensation of grace towards us in Christ, wheKeof there are two parts: — First, The lay- ing of our sin on Christ, on making him to be sin for us; which was
* The allusion is to Orotius, ani\n_£f whose varied and elaborate theologicil works there is a treatise entitled, "Defen.siX l'"idei ('atliulinc de Satisfactione C'liristi, conti"a F. Sociuuiu." The distinguished repiaation of tirotius in legal science explains some references which Owen makes in discuV'"B l"s views. — E0.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 269
merely and jDurely an act of free grace, wliicli he did for liis own sake. Secondly, The gracious imputation of the righteousness of Christ to us, or making us the righteousness of God in him ; which is no less of grace and mercy, and that because the very merit of Christ himself hath its foundation in a free compact and covenant. However, that remission, grace, and pardon, which is in God for sinners, is not opposed to Christ's merits, but ours. He pardoneth all to us; but he spared not his only Son, he bated him not one farthing. The freedom, then, of jDardon hath not its foundation in any defect of the merit or satisfaction of Christ, but in three other things : — Fii^st, The will of God freely appointing this satisfaction of Christ, John iii. 16; Rom. v. 8; 1 John iv. 9. Secondly, In a gracious acceptation of that decreed satisfaction in our steads; for so many, no more. Thirdly, In a free application of the death of Christ unto us.
Remission, then, excludes not a full satisiaction by the solution of the very thing in the obligation, but only the solution or satisfaction by him to whom pardon and remission are granted. So that, not- withstanding any thing said to the contrary, the death of Christ made satisfaction in the very thing that was required in tlie obliga- tion. He took away the curse, by " being made a curse," Gal. iii. 3 3. He delivered us from sin, being "made sin," 2 Cor. v. 21. He underwent death, that we might be delivered from death. All our debt was in the curse of the law, which he wholly underwent. Neither do we read of any relaxation of the punishment in the Scripture, but only a commutation of the person ; which being done, " God con- demned sin in the flesh of his Son,'" Rom. viii. 3, Christ standing in our stead : and so reparation was made unto God, and satisfaction given for all the detriment that might accrue to him by the sin and rebellion of them for whom this satisfaction was made. His justice was violated, and he " sets forth Christ to be a propitiation" for our sins, "that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus," Rom. iii. 25, 26. And never, indeed, was his justice more clearly demonstrated than in causing " the iniquity of us all to meet upon him." His law was broken; therefore Christ comes to be "the end of the law for righteousness," Rom. x. 4. Our offence and dis- obedience was to him distasteful; in the obedience of Christ he took full pleasure, Rom. v. 17; Matt. iii. 1 1).
Now from all this, thus much (to clear -up the nature of the satis- faction made by Christ) appeareth, — namely. It was a full, valuable compensation, made to the justice of God, for all the sins of all those for whom he made satisfaction, by undergoing that same punishment which, by reason of the obligation that was upon them, they themselves were bound to undergo. When I say the same, I mean essentially the same in weight and pressure, though not in all accidents of dura-
270 TlfR DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK III.
tion and the like; for it was iraposbible that he should be detained by death. Now, whether this will stand in the justice of God, that any of these should perisli eternally for whom Jesus Christ made so full, perfect, and complete satisfaction, we shall presently inquire ; and this is the first thing that we are to consider in this business.
Secondly, We must look what act of God it is that is exercised either towards us or our Saviour in this business. That God in the whole is the party offended by our sins is by all confessed. It is his law that is broken, his glory that is impaired, his honour that is abased by our sin : " If I be a father," saith he, " where is mine honour?" Mai. i. 6. Now, the law of nature and universal right re- quireth that the party offended be recompensed in whatsoever he is injured by the fault of another. Being thus offended, the Lord is to be considered under a twofold notion: — First, In respect of us, he is as a creditor, and all we miserable debtors ; to him we owe the " ten thousand talents," Matt, xviii. 24. And our Saviour hath taught us to call our sins our " debts," ]\Iatt. vi. 12; and the payment of this debt the Lord requireth and cxacteth of us. Secondly, In respect of Chi'ist, — on whom he was pleased to lay the punishment of us all, to make our iniquity to meet upon him, not sparing him, but re- quiring the debt at his hands to the utmost farthing, — God is con- sidered as the supreme Lord and Governor of all, the only Lawgiver, who alone had power so far to relax his own law as to have the name of a surety put into the obligation, which before was not there, and then to require the whole debt of that surety; for he alone hath power of life and death, James iv. 12. Now, these two acts are eminent in God in this business: — First, An act of severe justice, as a creditor exacting the payment of the debt at the hands of the debtor; which, where sin is the debt, is punishment, as was before declared: the justice of God being repaired thereby in whatsoever it was before violated. Secondly, An act of sovereignty or supreme dominion, in translating the punishment from the principal debtor to the surety, Avhich of his free grace he himself had given and be- stowed on the debtor: "He spared not his own Son, but delivered him up to death for us all." Hence, let these two things be ob- served : —