Besides ; several of those who had before examined and were acquainted with our sentiments, or to whom, in consequence of our short discourse in the university on the subject, they began to be more acceptable, — and these, too, considerable both for their number and rank, — ceased not to urge me to a more close consideration and accurate review of the controversy; for in that public dissertation, it being confined, according to the general custom of such exercises in universities, within the narrow Hmits of an hour, I could only slightly touch on the nature of vindi- catory justice, whereas the i-ules and limits of such exercises would not permit me to enter on the chief point, the great hinge of the controversy, — namely, con- cerning the necessary exercise of that justice. This is the difficulty that requires the abilities of the most judicious and acute to investigate and solve. In this situa- tion of matters, not only a more full view of the whole state of the controversy, but likewise of the weight of those arguments on which the truth of that side of the question which we have espoused depends, as also an explanation and confuta- tion of certain subtilties whereby the opponents had embarrassed the minds of some inquirers after truth, became objects of general request. And, indeed, such ' 'T'TifTifAiov, invaluable, unspeakably precious.— Ed.
PREFACE. 4S7
were the circumstances of this controversy, that any one might easily perceive that a scholastic dissertation on the subject must take a vei-y different turn, and could bear no farther resemblance, and owe nothing more to the former exercise, than the having furnished an opportunity or occasion for its appearance in public.
Although, then, I was more than sufficiently full of employment already, yet, being excited by the encoviragement of good men, and fully persuaded in my own mind that the truth which we embrace is so far from being of trivial consequence in our religion, that it is intimately connected with many, the most important articles of the Christian doctrine, concerning the attributes of God, the satisfaction of Christ, and the nature of sin, and of our obedience, and that it strikes its roots deep through almost the whole of theology, or the acknowledging of the truth which is according to godliness ; — fully persuaded, I say, of these facts, I prevailed with myself, rather than this doctrine should remain any longer neglected or buried, and hardly even known by name, or be held captive by the reasonings of some enslaving the minds of mankind, " through philosophy and vain deceit," to exert my best abilities in its declaration and defence.
Several things, however, which, with your good leave, reader, I shall now men- tion, almost deterred me from the task when begun. The first and chief was, the great difficulty of the subject itself, which, among the more abstruse points of truth, is by no means the least abstruse : for as every divine truth has a peculiar majesty and reverence belonging to it, which debars from the spiritual knowledge of it (as it is in Christ) the ignorant and unstable, — that is, those who are not taught of God, or become subject to the truth, — so those points which dwell in more intimate recesses, and approach nearer its immense fountain, the " Father of lights," darting brighter rays, by their excess of light present a confounding darkness to the minds of the greatest men (and are as darkness to the eyes, breaking forth amidst so great Ught) : —
" Suntque oculis tenebras per tantum lumen obortse." For what we call darkness in divine subjects is nothing else than their celestial glory and splendour striking on the weak ball of our eyes, the rays of which we are not able in this life, which " is but a vapour" (and that not very clear), "which appeareth but for a little," to bear. Hence God himself, who is " light, and in M'hom there is no darkness at all," who " dwelleth in light inaccessible," and who " clotheth himself with light as with a garment," in respect of us, is said to have made " dai-kness his pavihon."
Not, as the Roman Catholics say, that there is any reason that we should blas- phemously accuse the holy Scriptures of obscurity; for "the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple : the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." Nor is there reason to complain that any one part of the truth hath been too sparingly or obscurely revealed: for even the smallest portion of the divine word is, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, assist- ing to dispose and frame either the subject or our hearts, so as to view the bright object of divine truth in its proper and spiritual light, sufficient to communicate the knowledge of truths of the last importance ; for it is owing to the nature of the doctrines themselves and their exceeding splendour that there are some things hard to be conceived and interpreted, and which surpass our capacity and compre- hension. Whether this article of divine truth which we are now inquiring into be not akin to those which we have now mentioned, let the learned judge and de- termine, especially those who shall reflect what a close connection there is between it and the whole doctrine concerning the nature of God, the satisfaction of Christ, the desert of sin, and every one of the dark and more abstruse heads of our reli- gion. I have, therefore, determined to place my chief dependence on His aid " who giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not." For those unhappy gentle- men only lose theu- labour, and may not improperly be compared to the artists