73 make all poffible Allowances for the Infirmities of Mankind. And upon this Reason I take the Nature of expiatory Sacrifices in all Ages to have been grounded, to thew the great Averfion God has always had to Sin, and to deter Men from Sin, by fhewing the great Satisfaction which he required for it. And therefore I do not approve the Reafon which a late Author gives, that the End of Sacrifices was to make Sin coftly to the Offender, and to appease the Confciences of penitent Sinners, by fhewing that God accepted the Death of the Beaft in lieu of theirs. For thefe are only general Ends, but the moft principal and particular End which was aimed at in the Sacrifices of Beafts was, that they might be Types and Fore-runners of the great Sacrifice of our bleffed Lord, from the Efficacy of whofe infinite Satisfaction they received all their expiatory Nature. For as the Apostle argues, Heb. x. 6. It is not poffible that the Blood of Bulls and Goats fhould take away Sins; and therefore these must all have Reference to the infinite Satisfaction of Chrift, which alone can. So that these bestial Sacrifices both before and under the Law, were to the Sacrifice of Chrift as the Tabernacle to the Temple. God Almighty was pleased to accept them as expiatory till fuch Time as that great Sacrifice was finished. But as when the Temple was built, the Tabernacle was deftroy'd: So after the Suffering of Chrift, thefe ritual Sacrifices were at an End. Nay, we have rather great Reason to adore the infinite Mercy of God, than to tax him with Severity, for accepting of fuch vi carious Sufferings; for he might in Juftice have demanded the perfonal Suffering of the Offender himfelf, his Life for every Tranfgreffion, which would foon have put an End to the Race of finful Mankind. To have forgiven all without any Satisfaction, would have been, in Effect, to have given an uncontrollable License to Sin; and to have punished to the utmoft Rigor, would have left no Room for Men to adore his Mercy: But by this admi *Difcourfe concerning natural and revealed Religion, p. 100. rable rable Mixture of Juftice and Compaffion, his own Honour is preserved, and Men's Sins are pardoned. Neither can I affent to your Opinion, that Sacrifices The Origin are the pure Invention of Men; for it is highly probable of Sacrifices from antithat they were at firft inftituted by God Almighty, and ent ReveDirections for the Performance of thefe facrificial Rites lations. given to the First of Mankind, and fo have been handed down to the several Branches of their Pofterity ever fince. Indeed Grotius and fome others are of Opinion, that Sacrifices owe their Original to the Gratitude of Mankind, who in Thanks to God were willing to return back to God fome Part of the good Things they did enjoy; and that before the Flood there was no Sacrifice offer'd of Animal Creatures. But granting, that Gratitude gave Origin to Euchariftical Sacrifices, we are as much at a Lofs to find a Reafon for the Piacular, unlefs we allow they came by the Inftitution of God. Neither is his Reafon convincing, by which he would prove that no Beaft was facrificed till after the Deluge; viz. because Sacrifices are never but of fuch Things whereof Men used to eat: Now there being no Flesh eat before the Deluge, that Indulgence being afterwards granted to Noah, he concludes, that no Flesh was facrificed. But this Argument is but weak. For it is very much to be doubted whether the Antediluvians did not eat Flesh; and Bochartus contends ftrongly that the Grant to Noah, Gen. ix. was not larger than what was afforded to Adam, Gen.i. And befides, in piacular Sacrifices in many Nations, they never ftood upon the Edibility of the Sacrifice; but oftentimes facrificed Horfes or Men. Befides, it is probable that thefe expiatory Sacrifices of Blood commenced from the firft Fall of Mankind, to be the alifua, or vicarious Punishments for the Lives of Adam's Off-fpring then forfeited. And then there is fome Reason for their Inftitution at that Time; but there is none that I know, for their being fet up in the Time of Noah. And when the Scripture fays exprefly that Abel offered of the Firstlings of his Flock, and the Fat thereof; methinks it is a jejune Interpretation, to fay he Offered only Lanam & lac pin guiffimum, guiffimum, Wooll and very fat Milk (i.e.) Cream. I am therefore perfuaded, and I think upon good Ground, that a Model of facrificial Rités, or at least a Command in general of piacular Sacrifices was given to our first Parents, and by them tranfmitted down to all their Pofterity. For otherways it is impoffible to give a fatisfactory Account why we should meet with the fame in all Ages, in all Countries from the East to the Weft-Indies, from Africa to Scythia, and there find Men practifing the fame piacular Rites almoft in an uniform Manner. If their Sacrifices were owing to the Gratitude or Reafoning of the different Inhabitants, they would be as widely different as their Customs and Manners are; but when we find fo many different People that have no Intercourse with one another, doing exactly the fame Things as if it were by Confederacy, killing the Sacrifice, burning the Flesh, and that too upon an Altar, by the Ministry of a Priest, and with an Opinion that their Sins are difcharged by that vicarious Punishment of the devoted Animal, with many other like Circumftances; this muft needs prove, that they could not all jump upon thefe Things by Chance, but had them delivered down to them by fome ancient Pre deceffor, who was Progenitor to them all. And as I proved to you before by this Argument * that the Americans did proceed from the Europeans; fo I think it is as plain that they did all proceed from Adam, from whom the general Syftem of facrificial Rites has been propagated to them after the Succeffion of fo many Ages. And here we may fix our Foot, and fettle the Commencement of all moral and ritual Religion, and whatsoever we find of them both, though ever fo vitiated in the different Parts of the World, efteeming them to be but corrupted Streams of the ancient Revelation afforded to our firft Father: And as for thofe Texts of Scripture which you alledge, they do by no means un dervalue or caft any Reflection upon God's ritual Laws and Sacrifices. But the Design of them is to shew, that *Conf. Part I. p. 154. Men Men fhould not place their Obedience only in the ritual Parts of Religion, whilft they neglect the more fubftantial Duties of Morality; and this is a Truth which every honeft Chriftian, as well as you Deifts, thinks himself bound to believe. Phil. I confefs, what you fay does not altogether want fome Probability. But ftill methinks thefe vicarious Punishments feem but infignificant Trifles in Matters of Religion, because they do not make Men the better or the more innocent. Indeed if thefe Expiations either in themfelves, or as they had Relation to the Death of Christ, did perfectly take away Sins, then there is fomething in what you faid: but they only leave the Man as they found him, unless true Repentance did make him better: So that the Mediatorship without Repentance fignifies nothing at all; and Repentance where they know nothing of this Mediatorship, muft, by all charitable Men, be allowed to be valid; and therefore what Need of the Mediatorship or Satisfaction at all? Repentance after finning is all that Man can do, or God can require. 'Tis true, the Debt we owe to God Almighty by finning is infinite, and what then; *If I owe a Million, and can pay but a thousand Pounds, my Creditor can have but all. 'Tis true, my Body is then fubject to Imprisonment, that is to the farther Extent of the Law; but then that Law is void of Mercy. So that when I have done my All, that is, repented; what Need is there of Expiation, when God's Mercy will acquit me, as having paid what I was able? in the Me Cred. It is true, that God's Mercy is that bleffed At- God's Hotribute to which the Pardon of all our Sins is owing, and nour to be upon which the Mediatorship is founded. This is that confidered which gave Life to the Stipulation between Chrift and the diatorship. Father, that He fhould die for the Sins of the whole World, in which all-fufficient Sacrifice all other Expiations received their Force and Energy. And it's likewise true, that after Sin committed, Repentarice and Amendment is all we can do on our Parts. But then farther, we Chriftians, fay that the Mediatorship muft do fomething likewife on God's Part as well as ours. By Sin God's Honour is violated, and our Lives are forfeited; now both these are to be remedied by the Efficacy of the Mediator. Indeed Mercy for God to Pardon, and Repentance for us to amend, is all that is neceffary for our Security. But then on the other Side, why must there be no Satisfaction given for the injured Honour of God? God may be as merciful to the World as he pleases, but still he must be juft to his own Dignity; for otherways he would devest himfelf of the Government of the World, and leave impudent Sinners to fin without Controll. And therefore we fay, that therein lies the admirable Wisdom of the Mediatorfhip, that both Parties are thereby fatisfied; God has the Security of his Honour, and Man of his Salvation. Phil. But, Credentius, this Satisfaction, as you call it, in the Mediatorship, is a Bufinefs which lies fo cross in my Brains, and is pregnant with fuch a Number of Abfurdities, that I can never away with it. And therefore you fee, that not only we, but your Brother Christians the Socinians, are fo aware of the Grofsnefs of this Doctrine, that they are unanimoufly agreed upon it, to explode it; as giving Men fuch a barbarous Notion of the Deity, as is inconfiftent with the Excellency of his Nature. For Satisfaction does fuppofe an angry revengeful Temper, which defires to be glutted with the Punishment of the offending Party; which when that is brought about, becomes tame, good-natur'd, and reconcileable. But this is fuch a pitiful Imbecillity, even in human Nature, as wife Men are ashamed of, and therefore to attribute this to the infinite Purity and Wifdom of God, is no lefs, I think, than the most daring Blafphemy. But fuppofing there was fuch an angry vindictive Nature in the Deity; yet methinks even then he should rather choose to take Revenge upon every one for their own Demerits, which would be agreeable to Juftice; and not make one innocent Perfon, viz. Jefus Chrift, who had no Sin, as you fuppofe, to fuffer for the Sins of all other wicked Men; and to lay the deferved Sufferings of fo many outrageous |