their persons, or to cloak their doing evil all their life long, though sin-pleasing hypocrites thus endeavour to indulge themselves and others in their iniquities. But "be not deceived, God will not be mocked; such as you sow, such shall you reap."

66

S. S. accuses me with saying, "satisfaction is not needful ;" quoting, "Divin. of Christ." p. 62. And then cries, such blasphemy is this man not afraid to utter; the Lord convince and humble him.” p. 106.

To which I say, thou hast wronged me; those are none of my words; the Lord humble thee for thy belying me, this is not the first time. If thou or any reader, do but moderately view my book and the page quoted by thee, it will plainly appear, that to say "satisfaction is not needful," are none of my words. For it is very plain, that I have not denied that satisfaction which was in Christ; but have objected against the manner of their stating it, and the sinful tendency of their notion about it. 1. Against their making satisfaction the effect of God's full revenge, or the execution of vindictive justice," (as their phrase is,) on his innocent Son, thereby to clear the guilty. 2. I have distinguished between God's chastisement and revenge. 3. That the intent and end of God's people undergoing his chastisements or correction, (according to Jer. x. 24.-Heb. xii. 9, 10, 11.) and their partaking of the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, is that they might be partakers of his holiness, live and reign with him. 4. I have plainly told my opposers, "that if man continue in rebellion against Christ, rejecting his love and grace, bis sufferings and satisfaction will not free them from the severity of God, nor from the execution of his judgment, which is committed to Christ," &c. Divin. of Christ, p. 62, 63. The truth of what I have written in the said book, in the plainness and simplicity of it, stands over the subtility of my opposers, and remains unanswered; and instead of an honest or moderate answer, this man does but pervert, curtail, tautologize, and pick at my words, and abuse ine. He doth not so much as seriously take notice of the stress of my objections, but over and over imposes his opinion, and brings a very unfit instance for God's judging it meet to punish all sin, (or that all our sin is punished,) in his Son without cruelty," &c. where he saith, "if God doth damn the impenitent, if he damns the fallen angels, he is cruel." p. 107.

We say, no; he is just. But is this and his punishing your sins in his Son to the full, a fit parallel? Let the unprejudiced reader judge. He then grossly imposes and begs the question, viz.

"And for that person who is God, to suffer a temporal death, (though in his human nature only,) is of infinite value, an infinite abasement, a stroke of infinite wrath. For had not God's

wrath against sin been infinite, he would not thus have struck a person of infinite worth and dearness to him, interposing as a surety between him and us miserable sinners. For God in our nature to suffer what he did, is more than for men or devils, to suffer God's eternal wrath or revenge. This wrath more clearJy shines in the infinitude of it in thus smitting the brightness of his glory and express image of his person, than in the eternal damnation of men and devils in the unquenchable flames of hell."

Reply. This strange language against God and Christ, I shall need to say little about; let those who know the holy scriptures see how unlike them it is. I may query and demand of him, 1. Where do the scriptures say, that God suffered a temporal death as a stroke of infinite wrath? 2. That in infinite wrath he struck a person of infinite worth and dearness to him? 3. That this wrath more clearly shines in the infinitude of it in thus smitting the brightness of his own glory, &c. than in the eternal damnation of men and devils, &c. If I should conclude this both blasphemous and unscriptural language, that thus sets God at variance with himself, or as smitting and punishing himself, &c. S. S. perhaps would be ready to cry out, "Oh blasphemy!" and charge it upon me, though it be his own, the very tendency and nature of his doctrine. The matter is fully answered and refuted before. Again, where do the scriptures say, that God punished the surety, Christ, for our sins, and for a time poured forth his wrath upon him for our iniquities? (p. 108.) I am sure the scripture he cites, says the contrary. Isa. xlii. 1. viz. "Behold mine elect in whom my soul delighteth." Could he then pour forth his wrath upon him for our iniquities? Oh! be ashamed of such doctrine. Could either the chastisement of our peace on him, his bearing the sin of many, or carrying our griefs, be the Father's pouring forth infinite wrath upon him?

That it is for "Christ's sake" that God doth pardon "upon repentance," is very true, (it is well he grants this upon repentance,) for all the good that is revealed or wrought in us, that is acceptable to God, as true faith, repentance, obedience, real righteousness, &c. is all of Christ, and brought forth by him in that soul that is pardoned and justified in him, or accepted in the beloved. But, how God's forgiveness of the debt, or pardon of the offences, agrees with the surety's full payment and suf

*Is not this like the language of hell? or theirs who said of Christ: "will he kill himself?" And "he is guilty of death." This is something like his brother W. Haworth's affirming, "that the Father poured out all his wrath upon his Son Jesus Christ," and that this way he "satisfied vengeance," which he calls “his justice,” in his epistle to their “Quaker Converted ;" answered by John Crook, and W. Bayly, in their book "Rebellion Rebuked." But the adversaries of truth shall find there is wrath, yet for them if they repent not.

fering the punishment and wrath deserved, I leave to the understanding reader to judge. Or, how Christ should make intercession for them that come unto God by him, if all their debt were paid and punishment undergone, appears not; especially where the surety's payment and suffering is supposed in this case to be infinitely of more value than if the debtor himself had paid and suffered all, because of the surety's infinite dignity. And when, if the payment and satisfaction of law were thus strictly and severely made, neither law nor justice could admit that the debtor should lie in prison, (as many do under satan's chains of darkness, liable to wrath and vengeance,) but he should be both discharged and delivered ipso facto? But we see it otherwise. Many are yet in the prison-house in satan's chains, who yet may be loosed; and Christ ever lives to make intercession for them that come unto God by him. The man mends not the matter in what follows.

Obj. "Christ having purchased salvation for us at the hands of justice, by his intercession he obtains the purchase at the hands of free grace, and so applies it to us." p. 109.

Reply. Oh strange! Justice, (or rather revenge,) fully paid and satisfied, but grace yet to be so much interceded or solicited to! This renders grace more severe than the condemnation of the law, and inferior to revenge. And what division would this make in God, and between Christ and grace? It renders him inferior to earthly princes, and his grace below common justice among men. For suppose a subject had forfeited his inheritance to his prince by rebellion, and after a full satisfaction and payment made to the prince in his stead by a person of interest with him, would it be just in the prince to detain his inheritance from him? Or suppose the surety hath made full payment and satisfaction in the debtor's stead, both to what law and severity could demand, could the creditor justly detain the debtor in prison, for some great and earnest solicitation to be made by his surety for him? Or, were it proper for the person for whom the satisfaction is thus made, to cry out, "Good sir, forgive me my debts," &c. if all past, present, and to come be fully paid by the surety? And yet those persons that are of this opinion pray to God to forgive them their trespasses or debts, as they forgive others, &c. But is their forgiving of debts, either a casting the debtors or their suretics into prison till they have paid the uttermost farthing? Surely that is not forgiveness? Whereas the intercession made to God doth acknowledge his dominion, power, and justice, as having been offended, and a subjection due to him; and also his grace, as that to which man oweth due obedience and respect. Notwithstanding, this man, who has pleaded such a kind of satisfaction, by justice or wrath punishing their sins in Christ,

he is not only rigid or severe, but partial in his opinion, (like a sect-maker,) limiting this satisfaction, and the extent of saving grace, only to a few; and yet that few not allowed the privilege to be delivered from the power of sin in this life. He says

This satisfaction was designed for all those, who through special grace in time believe. These are all delivered here from the guilt and reigning power of sin, and so are out of their fetters, and shall hereafter be delivered from the existence of sin." p. 109.

Reply. The satisfaction that was made, and testimony of God's love and mercy that was given by the sacrifice and death of Christ, (and as he is the propitiation.) was for all men. By the grace of God he tasted death for every man, for the sins of the whole world "He died for all men." (not only Presbyterians or a few particular Predestinarians, but all men, or mankind in general,) that as many as live, should not live unto themselves, but unto him that died and rose again." 2 Cor. v. 15. ". Who his ownself bear our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness." ii. 24.-See also ver. 21, 22, 23.

1 Pet.

It is plain, that Christ's suffering under the burthen of sin, and dying for all men, pointed at an other end, and had another kind of emblem in it, than men's living in sin all their days, or their not expecting freedom from sin till after death. This is not to suffer or die with Christ, nor to come to the blood of sprinkling, which only frees from the guilt of sin, by sprinkling and purging the conscience from the being of it. The ignorance and absurdity of the contrary sin-pleasing doctrine is sufficiently detected before.

And why, Presbyterians. satisfaction of revengeful wrath in your stead, or the death of Christ, as satisfaction in your stead, to free you from everlasting burning, and forgive your sins? Why for you inore than the whole world besides? Did not Christ die for all men as well as you? And yet none are pardoned or in a justified state, until they come to Christ to free them, and they to have true and living faith in his name and power, and so to be led by that eternal Spirit, by which he offered up himself a lamb without spot to God.

Obj. "Nor can this writer nominate one of us, that encourageth men to take liberty of sinning from the consideration of Christ's satisfaction-the Lord convince and humble slanderers." p. 110.

Reply. What ever you think or pretend, your doctrines are sin-pleasing, and give liberty therein. You dispute for imperfection and sin all your days. You justify the sinner or the unjust, while justly condemned in himself by the light of Christ. You set forth Christ, as made the subject of God's SK

wrath and revenge in your stead, and say that divine justice, which you term "vindictive or revengeful wrath," was satisfied in your stead, by punishing your sin to the full in Christ, and that thereby you are secured from hell, &c. although you continue in sin, or uphold the being of it all your days, and deserve to have your failings and infirmities cast as dung in your faces, as is confessed, p. 110. And yet you count yourselves imputatively righteous, pardoned, and justified, &c. even while you are saying, "Let us with Paul abhor all sanctification in us," "Let us place no confidence in sanctification," &c. pp. 102, 103. The very nature and tendency of such doctrines is sin-pleasing, and soothing, and grateful to hypocrites, encouraging them to take the liberty of sinning all their life time, if they can but be so eredulous or self-confident, as to believe they are elect persons, and secured from damnation on the account of your notion of satisfaction, that pretends and imputes revengeful wrath and severity to Christ, but ease to yourselves in your sins. But this your empty, devised notion will prove neither your justification nor security in the great approaching day of God, which shall declare every man's work, and wherein he will judge the secrets of men by Christ Jesus, according to the gospel. And every man must give an account of himself to God, and be rewarded according to the deeds done in the body, whether they be good, or evil.