ligation, his debt being paid; the Lord, having accepted of the payment from Christ, in the stead of all them for whom he died, ought in justice, according to that obligation which in free grace he hath put upon himself, grant them a discharge. Sixthly, That considering that relaxation of the law, which by the supreme power of the lawgiver was effected, as to the persons suffering the punishment required, such actual satisfaction is made thereto, that it can lay no more to their charge for whom Christ died, than if they had really fulfilled in the way of obedience whatsoever it did require; Rom. viii. 32-34. Now how consistent these things (in themselves evident and clearly following the doctrine of Christ's satisfaction before declared) are with universal redemption is easily discernible. For, first, If the full debt of all be paid to the utmost extent of the obligation, how comes it to pass that so many are shut up in prison to eternity, never freed from their debts? Secondly, If the Lord as a just creditor ought to cancel all obligations, and surcease all suits against such as have their debts so paid; whence is it that his wrath smokes against some to all eternity? Let none tell me that it is because they walk not worthy of the benefit bestowed, for that not walking worthy is part of the debt which is fully paid, for (as it is in the third inference) the debt so paid is all our sins. Thirdly, Is it probable that God calls any to a second payment, and requires satisfaction of them, for whom, by his own acknowledgment, Christ hath made that which is full and sufficient? Hath he an after reckoning that he thought not of? For, for what was before him he spared him not; Rom. viii. 32. Fourthly, How comes it that God never gives a discharge to innumerable souls, though their debts be paid? Fifthly, Whence is it that any one soul lives and dies under the condemning power of the law, never released if that be fully satisfied in his behalf; so as it had been all one, as if they had done whatsoever it could require? Let them that can, reconcile these things. I am no Edipus for them, the poor beggarly distinctions, whereby it is attempted, I have already discussed. And so much for satisfaction.

CHAP. VIII.

A digression containing the substance of an occasional conference
concerning the satisfaction of Christ.

MUCH about the time that I was composing that part of the last argument, which is taken from the satisfaction of Christ, there came one (whose name and all things else concerning him, for the respect I bear to his parts and modesty, shall be concealed) to the place where I live, and in a private exercise about the sufferings of Christ, seemed to those that heard him to enervate, yea overthrow, the satisfaction of Christ; which I apprehending to be of dangerous consequence, to prevent a farther inconvenience, set myself briefly and plainly to oppose: and also a little after willingly entertained a conference and debate (desired by the gentleman) about the point in question; which being carried along with that quietness and sobriety of spirit, which beseemed lovers of and searchers after truth; I easily perceived not only what was his persuasion in the thing in hand, but also what was the ground and sole cause of his misapprehension: and it was briefly this, that the eternal unchangeable love of God to his elect, did actually instate them in such a condition, as wherein they were in an incapacity of having any satisfaction made for them; the end of that being to remove the wrath due unto them, and to make an atonement for their sins; which by reason of the former love of God, they stood in no need of, but only wanted a clear manifestation of that love unto their souls, whereby he might be delivered from all that dread, darkness, guilt, and fear, which was in and upon their consciences, by reason of a not understanding of this love, which came upon them through the fall of Adam. Now to remove this, Jesus Christ was sent to manifest this love, and declare this eternal good will of God towards them, so bearing and taking away their sins, by removing from their consciences that misapprehension of God and their own condition, which by reason of sin they had before; and not to make any satisfaction to the justice of God for their sins, he being eternally well pleased with them. The sum is, election is asserted, to the overthrow of redemption. What

followed in our conference, with what success by God's blessing it did obtain, shall for my part rest in the minds and judgments of those that heard it, for whose sake alone it was intended. The things themselves being, first, of great weight and importance, of singular concernment to all Christians. Secondly, Containing in them a mixture of undoubted truth, and no less undoubted errors, true propositions, and false inferences, assertions of necessary verities, to the exclusion of others no less necessary. And, thirdly, Directly belonging to the business in hand, I shall briefly declare and confirm the whole truth in this business, so far as occasion was given, by the exercise and debate before mentioned; beginning with the first part of it concerning the eternal love of God to his elect, with the state and condition they are placed in thereby; concerning which you may observe,

First, That which is now by some made to be a new doctrine of free grace, is indeed an old objection against it: that a non-necessity of satisfaction by Christ, was a consequent of eternal election, was more than once, for the substance of it, objected to Austin by the old Pelagian heretics, upon his clearing and vindicating that doctrine, is most apparent. The same objection renewed by others is also answered by Calvin, Institut. lib. 2. cap. 16. As also divers schoolmen had before in their way proposed it to themselves, as Thom. 3. g. 49. a. 4. Yet notwithstanding the apparent senselessness of the thing itself, together with the many solid answers, whereby it was long before removed, the Arminians at the Synod of Dort greedily snatched it up again, and placed it in the very front of their arguments, against the effectual redemption of the elect by Jesus Christ. Now that which was in them only an objection, is taken up by some amongst us as a truth, the absurd inconsequent consequence of it owned as just and good, and the conclusion deemed necessary, from the granting of election to the denial of satisfaction.

Secondly, Observe that there is the same reason of election and reprobation (in things so opposed, so it must be); Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated;' Rom. ix. 13. By the one, men are ordained to eternal life;' Acts xiii. By the other, before of old ordained unto condemnation;' Jude 4. Now if the elect are justified, and sanctified, and saved,

because of God's decree that so they shall be, whereby they need nothing but the manifestation thereof; then likewise are the reprobates, as soon as they are finally impenitent, damned, burned, and want nothing but a manifestation thereof; which whether it be true or no, consult the whole dispensation of God towards them.

Thirdly, Consider what is the eternal love of God. Is it an affection in his eternal nature as love is in ours? It were no less than blasphemy once so to conceive; his pure and holy nature, wherein there is neither change nor shadow of turning, is not subject to any such passion; it must be then an eternal act of his will, and that alone'; in the Scripture it is called, his good pleasure;' Matt. xi. 26. His purpose according to election; Rom. . ix. 12. The foundation of God;' 2 Tim ii. 19. Now every eternal act of God's will, is immanent in himself, not really distinguished from himself; whatever is so in God, is God: hence it puts nothing into the creature, concerning whom it is, nor alteration of its condition at all, producing indeed no effect until some external act of God's power do make it out. For instance, God decreed from eternity that he would make the world, yet we know the world was not made until about five thousand five hundred years ago. But ye will say, it was made in God's purpose; that is, say I, he purposed to make it, so he purposeth there shall be a day of judgment, is there therefore actually a universal day of judgment already? God purposeth that he will, in and through Christ, justify and save such and such certain persons; are they therefore justified, because God purposeth it? It is true they shall be so, because he hath purposed it, but that they are so is denied. The consequence is good from the divine purpose to the futurition of any thing, and the certainty of its event, not to its actual existence as when the Lord in the beginning went actually to make the world there was no world, so when he comes to bestow faith and actually to justify a man, until he hath so done he is not justified. The sum is,

First, The eternal love of God towards his elect, is nothing but his purpose, good pleasure, a pure act of his will, whereby he determines to do such and such things for them. in his own time and way.

Secondly, No purpose of God, no immanent eternal act of his will, doth produce any outward effect, or change any thing, in nature and condition of that thing, concerning which his purpose is, but only make the event and success necessary in respect of that purpose.

Thirdly, The wrath and anger of God, that sinners lie under, is not any passion in God, but only the outward effects of anger, as guilt, bondage, &c.

Fourthly, An act of God's eternal love which is immanent in himself, doth not exempt the creature from the condition wherein he is under anger and wrath, until some temporal act of free grace do really change its state and condition. For example, God beholding the lump of mankind in his own power, as the clay in the hand of the potter, determining to make some vessels unto honour, for the praise of his glorious grace, and others to dishonour, for the manifestation of his revenging justice, and to this end suffer them all to fall into sin, and the guilt of condemnation, whereby they became all liable to his wrath and curse; his purpose to save some of these, doth not at all exempt or free them from the common condition of the rest, in respect of themselves and the truth of their estate, until some actual thing be accomplished, for the bringing of them nigh unto himself; so that notwithstanding his eternal purpose, his wrath in respect of the effects abideth on them, until that eternal purpose do make out itself, in some distinguishing act of free grace, which may receive farther manifestation by these ensuing arguments.

First, If the sinner want nothing to acceptation and peace, but a manifestation of God's eternal love, then evangelical justification is nothing but an apprehension of God's eternal decree and purpose: but this cannot be made out from the Scripture, viz. that God's justifying of a person, is his making known unto him his decree of election, or man's justification; an apprehension of that decree, purpose, or love. Where is any such thing in the book of God? It is true there is a discovery thereof made to justified believers, and therefore it is attainable by the saints, God shedding abroad his love in their hearts, by the Holy Ghost that is given unto them;' Rom. v. 5. But it is after they are 'justified by faith,' and have peace with God; ver. 1. Believers are to