3. God loves our persons as we are his creatures, is angry with us as we are sinners.
4. It is true that we can have no greater evidence and argument of the love of God's good-will and pleasure in general than in send- ing his Son to die for sinners, and that he is not angry with them with an anger of hatred opposite to that love, — that is, with an eternal purpose to destroy them ; but for a love of friendship and acceptation, we have innumerable other pledges and evidences, as is known, and might be easily declared.
These things being premised, the confirmation of what was pro- posed ensues: —
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The use and sense of the words whereby this doctrine of our re- conciliation is expressed evince the truth contended for. 'IxdcKssQui, xaraXdffdsiv, and d'TroxaraXdaffitv, which are the words used in this busi- ness, are as much as "iram avertere/' " to turn away anger:" so is " reconcihare, propitiare/' and " placare," in Latin. " Impius, ne audeto placare iram deorum," was a law of the Twelve Tables. 'iXaffxo^a/, " propitior, placor," iXccfffiog, " placatio, exoratio," Gloss, vetus. And in this sense is the word used: "Qua /jusvtoi vphg iXa<s- [Moitg ^sSv ^ Tspdruv d'Xorpo'Trds Gvvriyopivov 0/ (ji^dvTiig, Plut. in Fabio, — to " appease their gods, and turn away the things they feared." And the same author tells us of a way taken i^iXdaagDat to fiTjw^a rng Ssou, — to " appease the anger of the goddess." And Xenophon useth the word to the same purpose: HoXkd [msv rrsfLTuv dvadri/x^aTa %pL'cra^ rroXXd ds dpyvpa, 'sdiLiroKka h\ ^u wv, it,i'ka(Sd^r\y ntori avrov. And SO also doth Livy USe the Avord " reconcilio : " " Non movit modo talis oratio regem, sed etiam reconciliavit Annibali," Bell. Macedon. And many more instances might be given. God, then, being angry and averse from love of friendship with us, as hath been declared, and Christ being said thus to make reconciliation for us with God, he did fully turn away the wrath of God from us, as by the testimonies of it will appear.
Before I produce our witnesses in this cause, I must give this one caution : It is not said anj'vvhere expressly that God is reconciled to us, but that we are reconciled to God; and the sole reason thereof is, because he is the party offended, and we are the parties offending. Now, the party offending is always said to be reconciled to the party oflfended, and not on the contrary. So Matt, v. 23, 24, " If thy brother have ought against thee, go and be reconciled to him." The brother being the party offended, he that had offended Avas to be reconciled to him by turning away his anger. And in common speech, when one hath justly provoked another, we bid him go and reconcile himself to him ; that is, do that which may appease him and give an entrance into his favour again. So is it in the case under considera- tion. Being the parties offending, we are said to be reconciled to God when his anger is turned away and we are admitted into his favour. Let now the testimonies speak for themselves: —
Rom. V. 10, " When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son." KarrfkXdyriiJjiv rw ©ew, — " We were recon- ciled to God," or " brought again into his favour." Amongst the many reasons that might be given to prove the intention of this ex- pression to be, " that we were reconciled to God" by the averting of his anger from us, and our accepting into favour, I shall insist on some few from the context: —
1 It appears from the relation that this expression bears to that of verse 8, " While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," with which this upon the matter is the same, " We are reconciled to God
536 VINDICIJi: EVANGELICiE.
by the death of his Son." Now, the intent of this expression, '' Christ died for us sinners," is, he died to bring us sinners into the favour of God, nor will it admit of any other sense; so is our being " reconciled to God by the death of his Son." And that this is the meaning of the expression, " Christ died for us," is evident from the illustration given to it by the apostle, verses 6, 7. " Christ died for the ungodly;" how? As one man dieth for another, — that is, to deliver him from death.
2. From the description of the same thing in other words : Verse 9, " Being justified by his blood." That it is the same thing upon the matter that is here intended appears from the contexture of the apostle's speech, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us; much more then being justified by his blood;" and, "If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God." The apostle repeats what he had said before, " If, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," and "we were justified by the blood of Christ;" that is, "If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God." Now, to be justified is God's reconciliation to us, his acceptation of us into favour, not our conversion to him, as is known and confessed.