second person of the trinity, who, for sins past, present, and to come, hath wholly borne and paid it, whether for all, or but some, to the offended infinite justice of his Father.'

1. "And the Lord passed by before him (Moses) and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin."* From whence I shall draw this position; that since God has proclaimed himself a gracious, merciful, and forgiving God, it is not inconsistent with his nature to remit without any other consideration than his own love; otherwise He could not justly come under the imputation of so many gracious attributes, with whom it is impossible to pardon, and necessary to exact the payment of the utmost farthing.

2. "For if ye turn again to the Lord, the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you." Where, how natural is it to observe, that God's remission is grounded on their repentance; and not that it is impossible for God to pardon without plenary satisfaction, since the possibility, nay certainty of the contrary, viz. his grace and mercy, is the great motive or reason of that loving invitation to return.

3. "They hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments; but Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful." Can the honest

* Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7.2 Chron. xxx. 9. Neh. ix. 16, 17.

hearted reader conceive, that God should thus be mercifully qualified, whilst executing the rigour of the law transgressed, or not acquitting without the debt be paid him by another? I suppose not.

4. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."* Come, let the unprejudiced judge, if this scripture doctrine is not very remote from saying, his nature cannot forgive sin, therefore let Christ pay him full satisfaction, or He will certainly be avenged; which is the substance of that strange opinion.

5. "Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that 1 will make a new covenant with the house of Israel; I will put my law in their inward parts; I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Here is God's mere grace asserted, against the pretended necessity of a satisfaction to procure his remission; and this Paul acknowledgeth to be the dispensation of the Gospel, in his eighth chapter to the Hebrews; so that this new doctrine doth not only contradict the nature and design of the second covenant, but seems, in short, to discharge God both from his mercy and omnipotence.

6. "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for↑ Jer. xxxi. 31, 33, 34.

* Isa. iv. 7.

ever, because He delighteth in mercy." Can there be a more express passage to clear, not only the possibility, but real inclinations in God to pardon sin, and "not retain his anger for ever?" Since the prophet seems to challenge all other gods, to try their excellency by his God; herein describing the supremacy of his power and super-excellency of his nature, that "He pardoneth iniquity, and retaineth not his anger forever." So that if the satisfactionists should ask the question, who is a God like unto ours, that cannot pardon iniquity, nor pass by transgression, but retaineth his anger until somebody make him satisfaction? I answer, many amongst the harsh and severe rulers of the nation; but as for my God, He is exalted above them all, upon the throne of his mercy, "who pardoneth iniquity, and retaineth not his anger forever, but will have compassion upon us."

7. "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."† Where nothing can be more obvious, than that which is forgiven, is not paid; and if it is our duty to forgive our debtors, without a satisfaction received, and that God is to forgive us, as we forgive them, then is a satisfaction totally excluded. Christ farther paraphrases upon that part of his prayer, ver. 14, "For if ye forgive their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." Where he as well argues the equity of God's forgiving them from their forgiving others, as he encourages them to forgive

others from the example of God's mercy in forgiving them; which is more amply expressed, chap. xviii. where the kingdom of heaven, that consists in righteousness, is represented by a king, "who, upon his debtor's petition, had compassion, and forgave him ; but the same treating his fellow servant without the least forbearance, the king condemned his unrighteousness, and delivered him over to the tormentors." But how had this been a fault in the servant, if his king's mercy had not been proposed for his example? How most unworthy therefore is it of God, and blasphemous, .may I justly term it, for any to assert, that forgiveness impossible to God, which is not only possible, but enjoined to men!

8. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."* By which it appears that God's love is not the effect of Christ's satisfaction, but Christ is the proper gift and effect of God's love.

9. "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever believeth in him, shall receive remission of sins."+ So that remission came by believing his testimony, and obeying his precepts, and not by a strict satisfaction.

10. "If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for

us all."*

Which evidently declares it to be God's act of love, otherwise, if he must be paid, he should be at the charge of his own satisfaction, for he delivered up the Son.

11. "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." How undeniably apparent is it, that God is so far from standing off in high displeasure, and upon his own terms contracting with his Son for a satisfaction, as being otherwise incapable to be reconciled, that he became himself the reconciler by Christ, and afterwards by the apostles, his ambassadors, to whom was committed the ministry of reconciliation!

12. "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." Now what relation satisfaction has to forgiveness of sins, or how any can construe grace to be strict justice, the meanest understanding may determine.

13. "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus." He does not say that God's justice, in consideration of Christ's satisfaction, acquitted us from sins past, present, and to come, and therefore hath called us to his eternal glory; but from his grace.

Rom. viii. 31, 32.2 Cor. v. 18, 19. Eph. i. 7, § 1 Pet. v. 10.