It is here queftioned, whether God could not pardon fin without fatisfaction, or fatisfaction be abfolutely neceffary, the decree and pleasure of God fo to have it excepted. Martin.de perf Sia. ex mundi redempt.p.1547 1550 Lex non eft aliquid internum in Deo, aut ipfa Dei voluntas, fed voluntatis quidam effectus. Lactant. de ira Dei,cap. 19. Judex peccatis veniam dare no Many found, orthodox and learned Divines hold the affirmative, because justice is effentrall to God, and it is a righteous thing with God to render tribulation to them that afflict, and that every tranfgreffion receive a just recompence, 2 Theff.1.6. Heb.2.2. Rom.1.32. Exod.34.7. And if recompence be juft, it is injustice to let fin goe unpunithed. The Lord teltifieth, that he that juftifieth the wicked is an abhomination to his highneffe: and he will not doe what he abhorreth in others, Prov.17.15. Ifa.5.23. God cannot but love his Image, and fo he cannot but hate the corruption of it, and severely punish that which is diffentanie from it. This feemes to be engraven in the heart of man by nature, that God is juft, and that fin cannot be done away without fatisfaction: and hence come thole many fond devices amongst the Heathen to pacifie offended justice they were ignorant of the true God, and how his wrath and displeasure was to be appealed : but affured of this, that he was offended by fin, and that without fatisfaction the fin could not be expiated or done away. For these and fuch like reasons many have thought, that it is abfolutely repugnant to divine justice to pardon fin without fatif faction. Others and thofe learned and orthodox are of opinion, that the neceffity of fatisfaction depends upon the will and pleasure of God, and that God by his abfolute power, falva juftitia, might have pardoned fin without fatisfaction. For God might out of his abfolute foveraignty not have punished Adams fin, both because it was against himfelfe, not others to whom he is tied to doe juftice: and especially, for that the demonstration of his revenging justice springeth not from the neceffity of his nature, but from his voluntary difpofition, as well as the giving life perpetuall, to obedience for a certaine fpace performed. For with-draw that voluntary Covenant, who doubteth, but that had the creature kept di licentiam. his innocency a thoufand yeares, God was free to have annihilated him? Alfo God is able were he pleased to fhew his power to turne it to his glory, which mens impotency not attaining, being alfo forbidden by the Law of their Superiour, maketh them that they cannot alwaies with juftice forgive, even that wherein themfelves N n are poteft,quia vo luntari fervit aliene. Deus autem poteft, quia eft legis tator judex, fue ipfe difcepquam cum pone ret,non urig, adı emit fibi omnem babet ignoscen poteftatem, fed Senec. Occidere contra Legem nemo non poteft, fervare nemo pre ter te ture agere. are trefpaffed. If God of his abfolute power cannot pardon fin without fatisfaction, then not to punish fin is fimply a thing impoffible, or God in fo doing fhould be deficient or inconformable to the rule of his will: but to let goe fin unpunished is fimply the omiffion of a divine act (the decree of God excepted) not defi cient or inconformable to any rule of Gods will, but rather a peculiar exercife of divine mercy. What abfolutely God can will, that he can justly will: otherwife it might be that God can will a thing which is injuft, or that he can will injuftly. But it was pol fible for God to will to let fin goe unpunished, it is not abfolutely repugnant to his divine nature to to will. If God cannot pardon fin without faHe rationes tum demum locum obtinerent, fi ita tisfaction, then it is neceffary that he pu Deus putaretur agere ex neceffitate nature, ut nifh fin by abfolute neceffity, or fin prefolo nature impetu citra omnem intellectum, & voluntat is affum, ageret, veluti ignis cale- fuppofed, it is of abfolute neceffity that facit ex neceffitate nature. Windel, de mundo. it be punifned; but it is not of abfolute Sel 2. c.2. Lex agendi neceffitas 1. nature neceflity that fin be punished, for then 2. congruentia. Illa per quam agens ita agit, God fhould punish it alwaies in one ut per naturam non poffit nan agere, está vel fine cognitione, vel cum cognitione. Ifta per manner, and as much as he can, as natuquam agens non poteft non congruenter jue na rall agents worke: whereas we fee by experience, that God doth differently punish the fins of men in this life, the leffer offendors most, the greater least many times, ever so as their punishments might be increased. Neither can it be said, that the greatneffe of punishment in this life, doth leffen their punishment in the life to come; for the punishments of the life to come being eternall, can carry no proportion with the punishments of this life. Then it was of abfolute neceffity that Chrift should fuffer fo many stripes and no more, be forfaken just so long and no longer, Sciendum eft, continue in his agony fo many houres and neither more nor leffe. non fequi inju. The bounty of God to reward obedience is effentiall as well as juftum ex quavis ftice to punish iniquity and if God punish iniquity by abfolute and negatione jufti, naturall neceflity, of neceffity he must reward obedience : if he etiam pofitif punish iniquity without divine conftitution, he must reward obe dem circumfan- dience in the fame manner. God may inflict a more mild punishtijs. Non eft perpe. ment then fin deferveth, therefore at least he may leave fome de ruum at id quod gree of fin unpunished: as alfo, it is lawfull for God to men equal juftè fiat, non in fin, to grant pardon to one, to punish another according to his nifi injuftè deferts. To give reward above merit is not contrary to justice, uittalar o it be given of our owne: nor to punish mercifully, and lefse then the fault deferveth, if it be a fault committed against our felves. And it feemes as much repugnant to ju ftice to accept a furety, as to pardon the Sunt quedam Dei proprietates quarum exerci. punishment; efpecially that the Son of tium, tum quoad affum, tum quoad tempa 50 God,the party offended,fhould take upon rationem, pendet a libera ipfus voluntate. modum actus,imo etiam quead obj‹&i determi. him our nature, and make fatisfaction for Ex promiffione juu aliquod acquiritur ei cui us. And if God by abfolute neceffity muft facta eft promiffio: at comminatione apertius punith fin as it deferveth, then it is fimply duntaxat declaratur meritum pœnæ in peccante, impoflible to renew the finner by repen- & mifericordia Dei non minus proprietas ejus ☞ jus puniendi in comminante. Cum bonitas tance, or to annihilate him,because then he fit, quim juftitia: ac quamquam ex miferidoth not bear what punifhmet his fin doth corda non giffet, fed puniiffet univerfos, micall for from the hand of juftice. Juftice is nimè eo mutabilis, vel etiam immifericors poeffentiall to God,fo is mercy,bounty, libe- tuerit dici: fimiliter, neg, extra decreti confi. rality: but God Theweth mercy to whom derationem, mutabilem vel injuftum dici pohe will & doth good to whom he will free- illam fatisfactionem. Quod is qui deliquit pæ tuiffe, quanquam ignoviffet univerfis citra ly,not by abfolute neceffity:only God hath nam meretur, eo punibilis eft, hoc ex ipfa obliged himfelfe by righteoufneffe of fi- peccati & peccatoris ad (uperiorem relatione delity, that is by promises and threatnings, which must be fulfilled, to doe this or that. Sin though it hath an outward difagreement, fuch as may be in a creature from the Creator: yet it hath no inward pofitive repugnancy or contrariancy to Gods nature, fuch as is betwixt fire and water for then should the divine nature inwardly in it felfe be worse for the being of fin, and fhould neceffarily nill it. Sin is difpleafing unto God, he cannot approve it as good in it felfe, but it is one thing to be difpleafed with, or hate fin, another to punish it of abfolute and naturall neceffity; as it is one thing to approve obedience, another to reward it of neceffity. It is most true, that God doth not only hate, but punith all fin, but that he doth, not by naturall neceffity, but by naturall congruity, which may ftand with the moft free will of God, determining to manifest his justice, for the manifeftation whereof the punishment of fin was neceflary. The hatred of fin and punishment thereof are joyned together as a free caute and effect, not as a neceflary caule and effect for God hateth fin at all times, but punisheth it not ever, but in his time or feason. But neceßariò fequitur propriè naturale, ut veto puniatur quivis peccator pæna tali que cul& univerfaliter, neq propriè naturale: fed na pe respondeat, non eft neceffarium fimpliciter ture fati conveniens. Chramice, panftrat. Tom.2.1.5.c.12. Parker de defc. 1.3. Sect. 56, Wotton de Reconcit t-1 c 4. Voff. refponf. ad Iud. Ravenfperg. cap.28. Ha.53.10. Pfal. 40.8. Joh.19,30. Nn 2 it it is not materiall to difpute this matter in more words; for feeing God hath determined that his juftice fhall take her revenge, if by breach of Covenant fhe be wronged, he cannot but punish fin according to its defert, neither may he fet us free from the fame, but fo as wronged juftice may receive fatisfaction. The decree of God is unchangeable, and the fentence of God denounced against fin must ftand firme for ever, therefore punishment must be executed, if the commandment be tranfgreffed. And the reafons of this decree be Onne agens quod agit naturaliter, agit in obje weighty. For hereby God manifefteth Gum fue affionis naturaliter receptivum: qua his juft indignation against fin, and magve i punire eßet na'arale (ilia nimirum accep ratione, que fecum fert neceffitatem) non pof- nifieth the riches of his grace and tender fit altio talis de perfona peccatoris in perfonam compaffion towards the finner, whom aliam tranfire Neg etiam fapientia Dei, que he is pleafed to fave from deserved wrath. in boc negotio maximè elucet, locum babitura Seeing then God decreed not to deliver videtur; fiper naturam nequisset Dem aliter agere: Sapientia enim eft elettrix mediorum. man from the fentence of death contraLuk. 24.36.27. Job, 10.18. Ated by fin, but upon fatisfaction made to divine juftice, and the punishment of fin borne by his furety, of neceffity if Chrift become a Mediatour to intercede for us, he muft undertake to pay our debts, and in our roome and steed to fuffer what we deferved. And as he undertook, fo he hath borne the chastisement of our peace, and by bearing the punishment hath taken away our fins. 23. Col. 1.14. That Chrift did under-goe the punishment due to finners, as their furety, is evident in this, that he died for us. For the wages of finne is death, Rom.6.23 & 5.12. which God inflictech upon Cor.15.11. none but either a finner, or him that beareth the perfon of a finner: wherefore seeing Chrift in himfelfe most innocent, did fuffer death, it neceffarily followeth, that he fuffered not in his owne, but in our name, and satisfied the Father for us. Hitherto it makes, that be fuffered not any kind of death whatfoever, but ignominious, violent, judiciall and accursed, such as had the fence of Gods wrath adjoyned. For no reafon can be imagined, why Christ fhould fo much dread death, which the Martyrs endured without feare, but that for the time he was deprived of that refreshing of 1 Cor.4 8,9. divine grace and favour wherewith they were sustained and confirmed in the midst of the fire. Nor is there any thing, whither we can referre, thofe tremblings of Chrift, thofe groanes and teares, in which he was heard, that defire that the cup might pafle Rom.3.25. Gal.3.13. Heb, 12,84. from Soc. lib.3. de Serv.c.s. Lev.5.1. & 10, 17. Basar 70 Ezek. 18. 20. from him, but to the impo'ition of our finnes, and that conflict with the wrath of God, which followed from it. The death of cur Saviour is referred to his unfpeakeable love towards us, fob.1.4. 13. Gal.2.20. Ephef.5.2,23. But if he could not but die, becaufe Rev. 1. 5. he was man, he fhewed his infirmity in dying, rather then the Gal, 2. 20. fervour of his love. For though Christ had loved us unto death, yet had he not commended his love in dying, if he dyed by condition of nature, and had not being innocent laid downe his life for us mortall, because finners. In like manner Chrift is said to have carried our finnes, and that in his body upon the tree, which in ufuall phrafe of Scripture is to be punished for our finnes, and pay the punishment of our finnes, 14.53.11. 1 Pet.2.24. Lev.19.8. & 20.17. & 24 15. Numb. 14,23. & 30.16. Lam.5.7 Ezek 18.20. And fuch a carrying is defcribed to which fmiting is adjoyned,and the chaftisement of our peace, from the tranflation of all our ini. quities upon Chrift, Ifa.53.5. For as it followeth in the fame place immediately, He was afflicted, that is, with the punishment due to finne, which was laid upon him, Ifa.53.6,7. Whereunto thofe paffages of Scripture might be referred, which fay, that Christ made his foule an offering for finne, Ifa.53.10. that he that knew no finne, was made finne for us, 2 Cor.5.21. that he hath redeemed us from the curf of the Law, being made a curfe for us, Gal.3.1 3. in which he must of neceffity be understood, who bears the punishments of finne. And it is against reafon, that he fhould be faid to beare the finnes of others, who fuffers by occasion of fin only, unleffe he beare the punishment of finne, and take it upon himfelfe. For who will fay, he that fuffers Loffe or dammage from the fault of a thiefe, doth beare his finne, when he doth not beare the punishment of theft, nor is punished for it. The Evangelift tranflates this faying of the Prophet to corporall difeafes, which Chrift did not receive upon himfelfe, it is by way of fimilitude and agreement in the thing it felfe, although the manner of the thing Math.8.16,17. be diverfe; as alfo by fuch miracles, Chrift declared himselfe to be that Meffiab, who was to beare, and by bearing to take away our finnes. Spr. portavit et afcendere fecit.. avapiger, furfum jerre. Luk. 14.51. Matth. 17. 1o. furfum ducere. Mar. 9. 2. Heb. 7. 27. Jam, 2, 21. Heb. 13. 156. 1. Pet. 2. 240. Moreover the Scripture faith, Chrift died for our finnes, Cor. vanes 15.3. Gal.1.4. Heb 10.12. 1 Pet, 3.18. and was delivered to mei. death for our offences, Rom.4.23. and for finners and wicked, I διάσ 5.3.6. Rom.5.6. 2 Cor.5.21. to be made finne for us, 1 Pet.3.18 Nn 3 to |