wrath, attended with a non-imputation of iniquities; and on our part, conversion to God by faith and repentance; this I say, being that reconciliation which is the effect of the death and blood of Christ, it cannot be asserted in reference to any, nor Christ said to die for any other, but only those concerning whom all the properties of it, and acts wherein it doth consist, may be truly affirmed; which whether they may be of all men, or not, let all men judge.

CHAP. VII.

Of the nature of the satisfaction of Christ, with arguments from thence. A THIRD way whereby the death of Christ for sinners is expressed, is satisfaction, viz. that by his death he made satisfaction to the justice of God for their sins, for whom he died, that so they might go free. It is true, the word satisfaction is not found in the Latin or English Bibles, applied to the death of Christ. In the New Testament it is not at all, and in the Old but twice; Numb. xxxv. 31, 32. But the thing itself intended by that word, is every where ascribed to the death of our Saviour; there being also other words, in the original languages, equivalent to that, whereby we express the thing in hand. Now that Christ did thus make satisfaction for all them, or rather for their sins for whom he died, is (as far as I know) confessed by all that are but outwardly called after his name, the wretched Socinians excepted, with whom at this time we have not to do. Let us then first see, what this satisfaction is, then how inconsistent it is with universal redemption.

Satisfaction is a term borrowed from the law, applied properly to things, thence translated and accommodated unto persons; and it is a full compensation of the creditor from the debtor. To whom any thing is due, from any man, he is in that regard that man's creditor, and the other is his debtor, upon whom there is an obligation to pay, or restore what is so due from him, until he be freed by a lawful breaking of that obligation, by making it null and void; which must be done, by yielding satisfaction to what his creditor can require by virtue of that obligation: as, if I owe a man a hundred pounds,

I am his debtor, by virtue of the bond wherein I am bound, until some such thing be done as recompenseth him, and moveth him to cancel the bond; which is called satisfaction. Hence, from things real, it was and is translated to things personal; personal debts are injuries and faults; which when a man hath committed, he is liable to punishment. He that is to inflict that punishment, or upon whom it lieth to see that it be done, is or may be the creditor, which he must do unless satisfaction be made. Now there may be a twofold satisfaction: First, By a solution, or paying the very thing that is in the obligation, either by the party himself that is bound, or by some other in his stead: as, if I owe a man twenty pounds, and my friend goeth and payeth it, my creditor is fully satisfied. Secondly, By a solution, or paying of so much, although in another kind, not the same that is in the obligation, which by the creditor's acceptation stands in the lieu of it; upon which also, freedom from the obligation followeth, not necessarily, but by virtue of an act of favour.

In the business in hand, first, the debtor is man, he oweth the ten thousand talents; Matt. xviii. 24.

Secondly, The debt is sin; 'forgive us our debts;' Matt. vi. 12.

Thirdly, That which is required in lieu thereof, to make satisfaction; for it is death, 'in the day that thou eatest thereof;' Gen. iii. 'The wages of sin is death;' Rom. vi. 23.

Fourthly, The obligation whereby the debtor is tied and bound, is the law; 'cursed is every one,' &c. Deut. ii. 7. The justice, Rom. i. 32. and the truth of God; Gen. iii.

Fifthly, The creditor that requireth this of us is God, considered as the party offended; severe Judge, and supreme Lord of all things.

Sixthly, That which interveneth to the destruction of the obligation is the ransom paid by Christ; Rom. iii. 24, 25. God set him forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.

I shall not enter upon any long discourse of the satisfaction made by Christ, but only so far clear it, as is necessary to give light to the matter in hand. To this end two things must be cleared: First, That Christ did make such satisfaction, as whereof we treat, as also wherein it doth consist. Secondly, What is that act of God towards man, the debtor,

which doth and ought to follow the satisfaction made. For the first, I told you the word itself doth not occur in this bu siness in the Scripture, the thing signified by it (being a compensation made to God by Christ for our debts), most frequently for to make satisfaction to God for our sins, it is required only; that he undergo the punishment due to them: for that is the satisfaction required, where sin is the debt. Now this Christ hath certainly effected, for 'his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree;' 1 Pet. ii. 24. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities;' Isa. liii. 11. The word No nasa also, ver. 12. arguing a taking of the punishment of sin from us, and translating it to himself, signifieth as much, yea all, that we do by the word satisfaction; so also doth that of άvýveуkev used by Peter in the room thereof: for to bear iniquity in the Scripture language is to undergo the punishment due to it; Lev. v. 1. Which we call to make satisfaction for it, which is farther illustrated by a declaration how he bare our sins, even by being 'wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities ;' Isa. liii. 5. Whereunto is added in the close, that the chastisement of our peace was upon him, every chastisement is either vov@ETIK for instruction, or apadɛyμarın for example, punishment and correction. The first can have no place in our Saviour; the Son of God had no need to be taught with such thorns and briers: it must therefore be for punishment and correction, and that for our sins then upon him, whereby our peace or freedom from punishment was procured.

Moreover, in the New Testament there be divers words and expressions concerning the death of our Saviour, holding out that thing which by satisfaction we do intend; as when, first, it is termed προσφορά, Eph. v. 2. παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν προσφορὰν Kai Ovoíav an oblation or sacrifice of expiation, as appeareth by that type of it, with which it is compared; Heb. ix. 14, 15. Of the same force also is the word ascham Dwn Isa. liii. 10. Lev. vii. 2. He made his soul an offering for sin,' a piacular sacrifice for the removing of it away, which the apostle abundantly cleareth, in saying that he was made auapría 'sin itself;' 2 Cor. v. 21. Sin being there put for the adjunct of it, or the punishment due unto it: so also is he termed iλaguós, 1 John ii. 2. Whereunto answers the Hebrew chitta, used

Gen. xxxi. 39. ' 'ego illud expiabam.' Which is to undergo the debt, and to make compensation for it, which was the office of him, who was to be Job's Goel; Job xix. 25. All which and divers other words, which in part shall be afterward considered, do declare the very same thing which we intend by satisfaction; even a taking upon him the whole punishment due to sin, and in the offering of himself, doing that which God, who was offended, was more delighted and pleased withal, than he was displeased and offended with all the sins of all those that he suffered and offered himself for: and there can be no more complete satisfaction made to any, than by doing that which he is more contented with, than discontented and troubled with that for which he must be satisfied. God was more pleased with the obedience, offering, and sacrifice of his Son, than displeased with the sins and rebellions of all the elect. As if a good king should have a company of his subjects stand out in rebellion against him, and he were thereby moved to destroy them, because they would not have him reign over them; and the only son of that king, should put in for their pardon, making a tender to his father of some excellent conquest, by him lately achieved, beseeching him to accept of it, and be pleased with his poor subjects so as to receive them into favour again : or, which is nearer, should offer himself to undergo that punishment, which his justice had allotted for the rebels, and should accordingly do it, he should properly make satisfaction for their offence, and in strict justice they ought to be pardoned. This was Christ, as that one hircus árоrоμπаłoç, sent-away goat, that bare and carried away all the sins of the people of God, to fall himself under them, though with assurance to break all the bonds of death, and to live for ever. Now, whereas I said that there is a twofold satisfaction, whereby the debtor is freed from the obligation that is upon him; the one being solutio ejusdem, payment of the same thing that was in the obligation; the other solutio tantidem, of that which is not the same, nor equivalent unto it, but only in the gracious acceptation of the creditor; it is worth our inquiry, which of these it was that our Saviour did perform.

He, who is esteemed by many, to have handled this argument with most exactness, denieth that the payment made by Christ for us (by the payment of the debt of sin under

stand, by analogy, the undergoing of the punishment due unto it) was solutio ejusdem, or of the same thing directly which was in the obligation; for which he giveth some reasons; as, First, Because such a solution, satisfaction, or payment is attended with actual freedom from the obligation. Secondly, Because where such a solution is made, there is no room for remission or pardon. It is true, saith he, deliverance followeth upon it, but this deliverance cannot be by way of gracious pardon; for there needeth not the interceding of any such act of grace. But now, saith he, that satisfaction whereby some other thing is offered, than that which was in the obligation, may be admitted or refused according as the creditor pleaseth; and being admitted for any, it is by an act of grace; and such was the satisfaction made by Christ. Now, truly, none of these reasons, seem of so much weight to me, as to draw me into that persuasion. For the first reason rests upon that for the confirmation of it, which cannot be granted, viz. that actual freedom from the obligation, doth not follow the satisfaction made by Christ; for by death he did deliver us from death, and that actually, so far as that the elect are said to die and rise with him, he did actually, or ipso facto, deliver us from the curse, by being made a curse for us; and the hand-writing that was against us, even the whole obligation, was taken out of the way and nailed to his cross: it is true, all for whom he did this, do not instantly actually apprehend and perceive it, which is impossible; but yet that hinders not, but that they have all the fruits of his death in actual right, though not in actual possession, which last they cannot have, until at least it be made known to them. As, if a man pay a ransom for a prisoner detained in a foreign country, the very day of the payment and acceptation of it, the prisoner hath right to his liberty, although he cannot enjoy it, until such time as tidings of it is brought unto him, and a warrant produced for his delivery; so that that reason is nothing but a begging Tov iv άρxỳ. Secondly, The satisfaction of Christ, by the payment of the same thing that was required in the obligation, is no way prejudicial to that free gracious condonation of sin, so often mentioned. God's gracious pardoning of sin, compriseth the whole dispensation of grace towards us in Christ, whereof there are two parts: First, The laying of our