a Saviour was as abfolutely neceffary as immortal Life is.

We need not entangle our felves in the Dispute concerning a natural vindictive Juftice, to prove the Neceffity of Chrift's dying for the Redemption of Sinners; for a Saviour is as neceffary as Salvation is; and though we should fuppofe, that God had no refpect to vindictive Juftice, but only to Love and Goodnefs, and Compaffion to fallen Man, in giving his Son to die for us, (which is what the Scripture affigns as the Reafon of God's giving his Son) if the Death of Chrift were neceffary to redeem us from Death, the Goodnefs of God makes it as neceffary as a vindictive Juftice.

I dare not pretend to know any more of the divine Nature, either of the Juftice or Goodness of God, than what God has declared of himself, either by the Works of Nature, or by his Word. To pretend to a direct intuitive Knowledge of God, to measure the divine Perfections by our fcanty Notions, to fay what God muft, what he can, or what he cannot do in Juftice or Goodness, is not only a bold and daring Prefumption, but, as I could eafily fhew you in numerous Inftances, the Cause of Atheism, Infidelity and Herefy: And therefore I know no more of the divine Juftice, than by his Laws; and from thence I learn, that the Punishment of Adam's Sin was Death, not only his own Death, but the Death of all his Pofterity, who died in him, when he became mortal. This then is what the Juftice of God required in Punishment of Adam's Sin. Though, as I have elsewhere obferved, there was an admirable Mixture of Wifdom and Goodness in it; especially confidering God's gracious Design of redeeming

redeeming Man from Death; for when Man was fallen, and human Nature corrupted by the Fall, immortal Life in this World would have proved no Bleffing, but a Curse.

Now it is evident Chrift did not die to reverfe this Law, to deliver Men from the Neceffity of dying; for this Law has taken place upon all Mankind from Adam to this Day, excepting Enoch and Elias, and will do fo to the End of the World; and I know of no other Satisfaction to Law and Justice, but the Execution of the Law; and therefore the divine Juftice takes its own Satisfaction in executing this Curse upon all Mankind; and when the Law is executed, I know not what other Satiffaction it can require. If the Satisfaction of Juftice be to stop the Execution of the Law and reverse the Sentence, inftead of executing the Sentence of the Law, it is manifeft that, in this Senfe, Chrift has not fatisfied the divine Juftice, nor that Law which threatned Death, because all Men ftill die: God never intended fuch a Saviour for Man, and if he had, he fhould have appear'd at the beginning of the World, to have put a Stop to this Curfe, before Death had preyed upon fo many Ages and Generations of Men; but the only Salvation Man was capable of, when this irrevocable Sentence of Death was once paft, was not to be faved from dying, which the Law would not admit, but to be raised again from the Dead into immortal Life; which the Law might admit, if fuch a Saviour, who could, and would, redeem Man from Death, was to be found: For though the Sentence of Death, with refpect to Men, who have no Power to deliver themfelves from Death, is equivalent to eternal Death; for thofe muft always continue

under

under the Power of Death, who cannot raise themselves from the Dead; yet the Law having only threatned Death, without any express mention of eternal Death, it left room for a Saviour, and was so intended by God, who had no fooner pronounced the Sentence of Death against Adam, but he promises him a Saviour, the Seed of the Woman, who should break the Serpent's Head; who by Death fhould deftroy him that had the Power of Death, that is, the Devil, and deliver them, who through fear of Death, were all their life-time fubject to Bondage. So that God might, if he pleafed, appoint a Saviour and Deliverer to redeem Man from Death, without the Infringement of any Law or Juftice: The Juftice of the Law is fatisfied in the Death of Man, but the Law makes no Provifion for his rifing again, but leaves him in a State of Death; this the divine Goodnefs took care of, and hath raised up a Horn of Salvation for us in the Houfe of his Servant David. And therefore let us now confider,

2. What Account the Scripture gives us af the Death of Chrift, and that Salvation he has wrought for us by his Death; the right understanding of which great Mystery is wholly refolved into that fundamental Article of our Faith, that Jefus Chrift is the Son of the living God, God manifefted in the Flefb, true and perfect God, and true and perfect Man, in One Perfon. Now the Account the Scripture gives us of this, either relates to the Nature of Chrift's Death, or to the bleffed Fruits and Effects of it.

1. As to the Nature of Christ's Death. Now as I have already obferved, the Scripture every where affures us, that Chrift died for us, that he died for our Sins, that he tafted Death for every

Man,

Man, that he died for all, because all were dead; that he bore our Sins in his own Body on the Tree; that he was made Sin for us, who knew no Sin; that be made bis Soul a Sacrifice for Sin; that while we were yet Enemies, Chrift died for us, the Just for the Unjust, to reconcile us to God. What can poffibly be plainer than this, or what other Senfe can be made of it, but that the Death of Chrift is a Sacrifice for the Sins of the World; that in dying he bore the Punishment of Sin, not of his own Sins, for he had none, and could not have been a Sacrifice for Sin if he had, and therefore for our Sins? The Socinians allow, that Chrift in fome fenfe died for us; for this is not to be avoided, unless they will reject the Authority of Scripture, which exprefly fays, that Chrift died for us; and therefore in fome fenfe this must be true, if the Scripture speaks truth. But all they will allow to be meant by it is, that he died for our good, and this is a great Truth too; but did he fo far die in our place and stead, as by Death to redeem us from Death? for nothing else is in a ftrict and proper Notion dying for us. Whatever other Advan tages we may receive by any Man's Death, we never fay he dies for us, unless he dies as our ariluxor, gives Life for Life. The Death of Martyrs is of great advantage to the Chriftian Church, as they are great Examples of Faith, and Patience, and Courage, and all fuffering Graces, but yet we do not for this reafon say, that Martyrs die for us; and yet I cannot fee, that they make any great difference between Christ's dying for us, and the Death of Martyrs, but only in degrees, that he is a greater Example and a more authentick Witnefs of Chriftianity. To be fure, this is not fo to die for us,

as

as to die for our Sins, as to be made a Curfe for us, to be made Sin for us, to make his Soul an Of fering for Sin, which is the Scripture Notion of Chrift's dying for us, and must be expounded according to the use of fuch Phrafes, when applied to Sacrifices; and we know a Sacrifice was fubftituted in the place of the Sinner, and fo died for him, as to redeem him from Death; for Death was the Punishment of every Sin under the Law, but in many cafes God appointed Sacrifices for the Redemption of Sinners; and no other fenfe can be made of dying for Sin, and being an Offering for Sin. All the Socinians have to fay here, is, that Chrift is faid to die for. our Sins, because he died upon occasion of our Sins, that is, if Man had not finned, Christ had not died; but how will this answer thofe Phrafes of being made Sin, and a Curfe for us, which muft either fignify, that he was a Sinner and accurfed in his own Perfon, which they themfelves will allow to be Blafphemy, or that he fuffered the Punishment and Curfe which is due to Sin; for Sin can fignify nothing else but either the Guilt or the Punishment of Sin; and when the Beast for Sacrifice is faid to have the Sins of the People laid on it, and to bear their Sins, this can only fignify the Punishment, not the Guilt of Sin, which a Beast is not capable of; and so it muft neceffarily fignify alfo, when he is faid to be made Sin for us, who knew no Sin; for he who has no perfonal Guilt, can in no other fenfe be made Sin, but as an Offering and Sacrifice for Sin, which bears the Punishment without the Guilt.

But ftill these Men think, that, whatever Violence they offer to the Words, they have great reafon to expound thefe Phrafes, when applied

to