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Sins and Immortal Life, but only upon the Terms and Conditions of that Covenant.

It occafions great and fatal Miftakes in Religion, fo to expound Christ's dying for Sin, bearing the punishment of Sin, dying in our stead, and making expiation for Sin, as to fignify, that he has made fuch a Satisfaction to the Divine Juftice, as abfolutely to acquit all thofe, for whom he died, from the Guilt and Punishment of all their Sins, whatever they are. For this reafon the Socinians reject the Doctrine of Satisfaction as inconfiftent with God's Forgiveness of Sin. For, fay they, when the Debt is fully paid and difcharg'd, what Grace is it to forgive the Debt? When the Sinner hath fully paid the Debt, though not in his own Perfon, yet in the Perfon of his Surety, what Juftice can exact more, what need is there of Forgivenefs, when all is paid? And yet the Grace of God in forgiving Sin is as much magnified in Scripture, as his Goodness in fending his Son to die a Sacrifice for Sin; though the Expiation of Chrift's Death, and the Forgivenefs of Sins, can never be reconcil'd, if the Expiation of his Death actually discharges thofe, for whom he died, from the Guilt and Punishment of all their Sins.

Others from hence conclude, that Chrift by his Death has not made a general and univerfal Atonement for the Sins of all Mankind, because all Men fhall not be fav'd; and yet it is abfurd to say, that thofe fhall not be fav'd, for whom Chrift died, and for whofe Sins he made an Expiation and Atonement to God: Which is the great fupport of those Doctrines of abfolute Election and Reprobation. And I must confeís, did I believe the Death of Chrift did actually discharge all those from the Guilt and Punishment of their Sins, for whom he died, I must conclude that either Chrift did not die for all, or that all fhould be faved.

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The Antinomians from the fame Notion of the Expiation of Chrift's Death, do as reasonably conclude, that Chrift has done all for us, and left nothing for us to do, but to believe him to be our Saviour, and to truft entirely in him for Salvation: Their Sins, whatever they are, can do them no hurt, for Chrift has made a perfect Satisfaction, for them; and how much foever their Confcienees accuse and terrify them, 'tis want of Faith in Chrift, and a diftruft of his Merit and Satisfaction to think their Condition ever the lefs fafe, because their Sins are great; They are not under the Law, but under Grace; the Law has nothing to do either to command or to condemn them; Christ hath fatisfied and fulfill'd the Law for them: And tho' Gratitude and Thankfulness may oblige them to obey the Laws of our Saviour, yet this must not be made the Condition of our Salvation, which is injurious to the Merits of Chrift. Now as abfurd and contradictory as all this is to the whole Design of the Gofpel, it is not eafy to give a fair Anfwer to it, if we believe that Chrift has actually difcharg'd all from the Guilt of Sin and the Condemnation of the Law, who believe that he has done fo. For if Chrift has done all for us that is neceffary for our Salvation, I know not what is left for us to do, but to believe that he has done it: If he will make fuch Believers holy and righteous by an irresistible Power, as fome of them seem to think he will, that is his Care, not theirs; for their Salvation is fafe without it.

To ftate this Matter as plainly and briefly as I can, I observe,

1. That our Redemption from Death by the Death of Chrift is abfolute and univerfal. This was God's Covenant with his Son, that, if he died in human Nature to fatisfy the Law of dying, and conquer Death, he fhould redeem all Mankind

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from the Power and Dominion of Death, by raising them from the Dead. And we all know that this Redemption is univerfal, that both good and bad Men fhall rise again at the last Day, tho' to very different States, as our Saviour tells the Jews, John v. 28, 29. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves fhall: hear his voice, and fhall come forth, they that have done good, unto the refurrection of Life; and they that have done evil, unto the refurrection of Damnation. And in this fenfe Chrift did in a true literal sense die for all, and tafte Death for every Man; for as in Adam all die, even fo in Christ shall all be made alive, 1 Cor. xv. 22. which is universal Redemption.

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But, 2. This Redemption of Mankind from Death by the Death of Chrift, is not an abfolute Pardon and Forgiveness of all our Sins. For bad Men fhall rife again to a State of Punishment, which is Proof enough, that their Sins are not pardon'd. Death, as it fignifies the Separation of Soul: and Body, was originally the Punishment of Adam's Sin, and afterwards became the Punishment of all Sins, as St. Paul tells us, The wages of Sin is Death., Rom. vi. 23. But yet Death, in this Notion of it, is not the only Punishment of Sin; indeed it is not the Punishment of Sin to any other reasonable Beings but only Man. The Angels finn'd, but did not die, but were caft down from that State of Glory and Happiness, which they enjoy'd, and are referved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the Judgment of the great Day, Jude 6. A State of Mifery and Sufferings is the proper Punishment of Sin, that thofe, who do ill, fhould fuffer ill. But Annihilation is no Punishment, when it delivers from a State of Mifery; and Death, as it fignifies a Separation of Soul and Body, thofe immortal Spirits were not capable of. But Man confifting

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of an immortal Soul and a mortal Body, which may be parted, was capable of dying; and the very Separation of Soul and Body is it felf a very great Punishment: For he cannot enjoy the compleat and perfect Happinefs of his Nature in a State of Separation. But this, as I faid before, is not the only Punishment of Sin; but Death tran→ flates us into an invifible State, to receive the just recompence of our Sins, which is a more proper Place of Punishment than this World, where good and bad Men live interniix'd with each other. And thus we muft confider Death, not only as a Separation of Soul and Body, but as a State of Punishment; for fo it would have been to all Mankind without a Saviour. But yet these two are very diftinctly to be confider'd in our Redemption by Chrift; for he has not redeem'd us from both in the fame manner. He has abfolutely redeem'd us from Death, as that fignifies the Separation of Soul and Body; for both good and bad Men fhall rife again: But he has not thus abfolutely and unconditionally redeem'd us from thofe other Punithments, which our Sins deferve; for bad Men shall come forth of their graves to the refurrection of Damnation. And there is a manifeft reafon for this difference. For, till Man was redeem'd from Death, he was not capable of Pardon and Forgiveness; while he was under the Curfe of the Law, he muft. fuffer all thofe Punishments and Miferies which his Sins deferv'd, as well as the Separation of Soul and Body. For the original Curfe is Death, which involves in it all the other Punishments that are due to Sin, till that Curfe be removed: And then, tho' all Men are not equally wicked, and therefore fhall not be equally punish'd, yet the best Men are guilty of fo many Sins, as must expose them to very great Sufferings without Grace and Mercy, which there is no place for, till the Curfe be remov'd.

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And therefore Chrift hath abfolutely redeem'd us from this Curse; he hath redeemed us from the Curfe of the Law, that is, from Death; by being made a Curfe, that is, by dying for us. And this makes all Mankind capable of Pardon; the Curfe being removed, God may now enter into a new Covenant of Grace with Mankind; which fhews us how confiftent the Expiation of Chrift's Death is with the Grace and Mercy of God in forgiving Sins.

Chrift by his Death has not only conquer'd Death, and gain'd an abfolute Power and Authority to raife the Dead, which makes all Mankind capable of Salvation, as delivering them from the Power and Dominion of Death, but has alfo made a general Expiation and Atonement for all our Sins; not abfolutely, but by way of Covenant. For the actual Forgivenefs of Sin, and the actual Reconciliation of God to Sinners, though it be founded in the Merits of Sacrifice, yet requires fuch Conditions and Qualifications on the Sinners part, as may make it fit for a holy and good God to forgive Sin, and to be reconcil'd to Sinners, and make the Sinner happy in the Enjoyment of God. And therefore the Blood of the Sacrifice is the Blood of the Covenant, which contains and expreffes all those Conditions, which God requires on our part to obtain the Forgiveness of our Sins. Hence the Gofpel, which contains thefe Conditions of the new Covenant, is call'd the Aoys xαamayus, the Word of Reconciliation, that is, the Terms upon which we may be reconcil'd to God; and the Apoftolical and Minifterial Office is διακονία τῆς καταλ uys, the Ministry of Reconciliation, whofe principal Duty it was to declare the Terms of Reconciliation. Therefore when the Apostle fays, We are Ambafadors for Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us, we pray you in Chrift's stead be ye reconciled to God, the Meaning is, that this was their Office, to befeech Sinners to accept of thofe Terms

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