To the second proof brought from the word of God, declaring him- self by that name of his, "Who will by no means clear the guilty," Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7, he answers: "It is true that God will by no means clear the guilty, yet it is evident that not a few are cleared by God. The guilty, then, whom he doth not clear, must be those who have neither repented nor believed in Christ. Hence it follows that every one hath either been punished or will be punished, either in himself or in Christ ; which we do not at all deny. But it doth not at all follow hence that God doth this from a necessity of nature, for it is possible that it may proceed from the free will of God ; neither doth it belong to him to exercise his mercy and bounty from a necessity of nature, but of his free will."
But, 1. It is of no service to his cause to urge that God does not punish some guilty sinners in their own persons, but clears them, when this learned man grants, yea, contends, that they have all been punished in Christ their head, by whom justice was fully satisfied. 2. It hath been several times shown before how God, from a neces- sity of nature, punishes sin, and yet with a concomitant liberty of will; and the difference between justice and mercy, in respect of their exercise and egress towards their proper objects, hath been shown; so that we do not think it proper to insist farther on these at present. These considerations, then, being set aside, it is evident that this learned man has not attended to the force of the argument: for it does not amount to this, that in respect of the event God clears none unpunished, either in themselves or in their surety, — an assertion which nobody but a Socinian speaks against; but rather to this, that as punitory justice is a natural attribute of God, a very con- siderable portion of his essential glory, yea, a well-known name of God, he can " by no means clear the guilty," vmless he were to deny himself, and deliver up his glory to another, — than which nothing is farther from God. But those for whom the divine justice hath been satisfied by Christ ought not, in respect of the demand of that justice, to be called guilty, for their obligation to punishment, namely, the guilt of sin, is taken away; so that it is just with God to deliver them from the wrath to come, although it be free to him at what time he may will that that deliverance, in respect of them, should take place and be manifested to their consciences, that so "being justified by faith, they may have peace with God."
To those verses cited by Lubbertus from Ps. v. 4-6, he thus re- plies: "The prophet is testifying," says he, "that God hates all
600 A DISSERTATION ON DIVINE JUSTICE. [PART II.
who work iniquity; liowever, it is sufficiently evident that God does not punish all who work iniquity, for he does not punish the elect. I acknowledge that God will in his own time destroy all the wicked out of Christ; but of his free will, and from no consideration of necessity, as he is an agent entirely free."
I am not altogether satisfied with this assertion, " That God doth not punish all who work iniquity;'' neither does the instance of the elect confirm it, for even the learned gentleman does not deny that all their sins have been punished in Christ. We maintain alone that God cannot but punish every sin, because he is just; but whether he choose to do this in their own persons or in their surety rests entirely with himself: therefore, it doth not derogate from his justice that he transferred the sins of some ujoon Christ, and punished them in him. But they themselves, though personally guilty before Christ took their guilt upon himself, are not, however, punished, nor can be accounted guilty in respect of the judgment of God, their sins not being imputed to them ; or, they ought to be said to have been punished in Christ their head, with whom they are now closely united. In the second place, we have shown before, and the learned gentleman acknowledges it, that a free act of the will may be con- sistent with some regard to necessity.
Allow me, then, from these three passages of Scripture cited by Lubbertus to collect one argument only; which, if I mistake not, no one of the various arguments of our very learned antagonist, nor even all of them, will be able to overthrow. It is to this purpose: If that just right or righteous "judgment of God" be essential, — namely, that which is made manifest and known to all by nature;^ if his avenging justice be such that he "will by no means clear the guilty;"^ if as he hates sin, so he will " destroy all the workers of iniquity,"^ — then it is natural to God to punish sin, and he cannot let it pass un- punished, for he can do nothing contrary to his natural attributes, exercised about their proper objects. But the former part of the argument is true;^ so also must the latter.