divine juftice, and he himself is God, how could he die and make fatisfaction to himself?

Anf. 1. God cannot be faid properly to satisfy himself; for that would be the fame thing as to pardon fin fimply, without any fatisfaction.

2. There is a twofold confideration of Christ, one in refpect of his divine nature or effence, in which fense he is both the object against which the offence is committed, and to whom for it the fatisfaction is made: and there is another confideration of Chrift in respect of his perfon, and economy or office; in which fenfe he properly fatisfied God, feeing he was in refpect of his manhood another and inferior to God. So he fays, John xiv. 28. My Father is greater than I. The blood of the man Chrift Jefus is the matter of the fatisfaction; the divine nature dignifies it, and makes it of infinite value.

3. It is not inconfiftent with reafon, that the Son of God clothed in our nature fhould by his death make fatisfaction to the Deity, and confequently to himself. For in the according of two different parties, a perfon that belongs to one of them may interpofe for reconciliation, provided that he divefts his own intereft, and leaves it with the party from which he comes, As for inftance, Let us fuppofe two perfons, a father and a fon, both poffeffed of the fupreme power, and offended by rebellious fubjects. It is not inconfiftent, that the fon interpofe as a mediator to restore them to the favour of the prince his father. And by this he alfo reconciles them to himfelf, and procures pardon for that offence, by which his own majefty was lefed. Now, this is a fit illuftration of the great work of our redemption, fo far as human things can reprefent divine. For all the perfons of the holy Trinity were equally provoked by our fin; and to obtain our pardon, the Son, with confent of the Father, deposits his interefts in his hands, and as, à Mediator intervenes between us and his Father, who in this tranfaction is confidered as the guardian of the rights of heaven; and

having performed what divine juftice required, he reconciled the world to God, i. e. to the Father, himself, and the eternal Spirit. In this cafe his perfon is the fame, but his quality is different. He made fatisfaction as a Mediator, and received it as God, which is no way inconfiftent.

Queft. Seeing Chrift really fuffered for the fins of his people, whether did he fuffer the fame punishment that they deserved, and which the law threatened, or only fomething equivalent to it? It would feem that Chrift did not fuffer the fame thing that the law threatened, and which we juftly deferved for fin; for then he muft have fuffered eternal death. It was not only the first, but the second death that the law threatened. Therefore Chrift's temporal death did not fatisfy the law and justice of God for us.

There are very learned and pious writers on both fides of this queftion. Yet I humbly think, that, without any inconvenience, both may be affirmed in different respects. To clear this, you would know, that the punishment which Chrift endured in our stead, may be confidered either as to its substance or effence, or with refpect to the accidental circumftances which attend it, when inflicted on the damned. Now, if we confider it as to fubftance or effence, it was the very fame which the finner fhould have undergone. Man by his fall was liable to death, and to the curfe and wrath of God, and Chrift hath borne this in the elect's room. But if we confider it with refpect to the accidental circumftances which attend it when it is inflicted on the damned, then it was not the very fame, but a punishment equivalent to it. The accidental circumftances of this punishment as inflicted on the damned, are, blafphemy, rage, and an impotent fierceness of mind, which are not appointed by the law, but are only accidentals, ariling from the wickednefs and perverfcnefs of their fpirits. Now, our bleffed Saviour was not, nor poffibly could be, liable to thefe. The great holiness and fanctity of his perfon

effectually fecured him against all these. Befides, the punishment that is inflicted upon the damned is eternal, and attended with final defpair, and the intolerable anguish of a guilty ftinging confcience- This is the never-dying worm that gnaws upon their vitals. But Chrift the Redeemer having no real guilt, was not liable to the worm of confcience; and his temporary fufferings were equivalent to the eternal punishment of the damned, and fully fatisfactory to divine justice, on account of the infinite dignity and excellency of his perfon; fo that he was not capable of defpair.

Thus it evidently appears, that Chrift offered himfelf a facrifice to fatisfy the juftice of God offended by fin. And in order to confirm your faith in this important article, one of the fundamental doctrines of our holy religion, let me again call your attention to the following particulars, which I fhall but barely

mention.

1. Confider the neceffity of this fatisfaction. Without fhedding of blood there is no remiffion. The justice of God, the nature of fin, and the fanction of the law, neceffarily required it. And the event ma nifefts it; for it is not conceivable, how, if fin could have been taken away with a bare word, the Lord would have fetched a compafs by the blood of his own Son.

2. Confider the truth of it. Christ did really and truly, by the facrifice of himself, fatisfy the juftice of God for us. For he bare the punishment due to our fins, If. liii. 5. He died for us, in our room and stead, Rom. v. 6. 7. and not for our good only, which may be faid of all the martyrs. Compare 1 Cor. i. 13. He bought us with his blood, and gave himself a ranfom for our fouls, and fo has taken away our fins in the guilt thereof. His fufferings were the fufferings of a divine perfon; and fo, though not infinite in duration, yet infinite in value. He was Lord of his own life.

3. Confider the perfection of it. He fatisfied completely for the fins of his people. His fatisfaction fully anfwered the demands of the juftice and law of God. This is plain from the excellency of the perfon fuffering, Col. i. 19.; this the apoftle teftifies, Heb. x. 14. forecited; and from the discharge he got in his refurrection, and exaltation to the Father's right hand. Whatever is left to his people to fuffer, it is not to fatisfy the juftice of God, but for their correction, that they may be made partakers of his holiness.

Having thus fhewed that one end for which Chrift offered up himself a facrifice to God, was to fatisfy his juftice, I proceed,

SECONDLY, To fhew that another end, as a native confequence of the other, was to reconcile elect finners unto God. Here I fhall,

1. Explain the nature of reconciliation.

2. Prove that reconciliation with God is the bleffed fruit and effect of Chrift's death.

3. Shew what influence the death of Chrift has on this.

First, As to the nature of reconciliation; feveral things are implied in it. As,

1. A former friendship and favour. God and man were once in good terms. There was a time wherein they met and lovingly converfed together. When Adam dropt from the fingers of his Creator, he was the friend and favourite of heaven. He had the law of God written on his heart, and a ftrong bent and inclination in his will to obey it. In that ftate there was no place for reconciliation: for then there was no breach between God and his creature.

2. It implies an enmity between God and man. Man fell from his primitive ftate of favour and friendship with heaven, and joined iffue with the devil, God's greatest enemy. Whereupon the Lord took the forfeiture of his poffeffion, turned him out of paradife, and hindered his re-entrance by a flaming fword. There is now a dreadful war betwixt earth and hea VOL. II.

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ven. Men daily rebel againft God's laws, labouring to beat down his intereft in the world, and employing all their powers and faculties, mercies and comforts, as weapons of unrighteoufnefs to fight against him. And he is an enemy to them; for he hates all the workers of iniquity, and the foolish cannot ftand in his fight. His wifdom, holinefs, juftice, and power ftand ready charged against them, and they are liable to his eternal vengeance. This is the ftate wherein man ftands with God on the account of fin.

3. Reconciliation with God lies in his receiving rebels into favour, and iffuing forth a gracious act of indemnity for all their fins, and cancelling all those bands of guilt whereby they were bound over to eternal wrath and mifery. This great bleffing formally confifis in his not imputing their trefpaffes unto them, 2 Cor. v. 19. The forfeiture is taken off, and they are admitted into his former friendship and favour. Now, this is twofold; fundamental and actual. There was a foundation laid for this reconciliation in the death of Chrift. This is the mean by which it was purchased, and the chief and only ground why God lays afide his anger. He made peace, fays the apoftle, by the blood of his crofs. And it is actual, when the offer of reconciliation is complied with by faith. He fends forth his ambaffadors, clothed with his authority, to pray them in Chrift's ftead to be reconciled to God, declaring his great willingness to receive them into favour; and when men embrace the offer of reconciliation, then God actually lays afide his anger, and imputes fin no more to them.

Secondly, I proceed to prove that it is only through Chrift that finners can obtain reconciliation with God. This is clear,

1. From the holy fcriptures, where this great truth is exprefsly declared. So it is faid, Acts iv. 12. Nither is there falvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be aved. And we are elsewhere told, that there is but