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rageous Offenders upon the Back of the most pious and fpotlefs Man, that, by your Account, ever came into the World. But when we farther confider, that this innocent Perfon is owned by you to be the Son of God, and his only Son too, and must nevertheless be facrificed to appeafe this vindictive Nature of God, before he could be reconciled to the World: This is fuch a horrid Repre sentation of the best of Beings, as fhocks human Nature to confider; and far out-does all the Stories of Scythian Sacrifices, and Bufiris's Altars. And yet greater Monfters of Abfurdities do appear, when we confider, That this fuffering Perfon was the fupreme God himfelf, who by this Scheme is fuppofed to have took upon him all the Infirmities of an human Body, was hungry and thirfty, and at laft was crucified, and died. Now this does imply a fort of a Paffibility in the Deity, which of all Heterodoxies is the moft grofs and abfurd.

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Cred. I have not Time now to enter with you into the What is nice Difputes of the Socinian Controverfy upon this Sub-meant by ject.. But however, I do not fee any Thing in the gene- on. Satisfactiral Notion of Chrift's Satisfaction, which does reflect at upon the Goodness of the divine Nature. Indeed the word Satisfaction is not found in Scripture, but the whole Subftance of what the Word imports, is; and this and all other Words which are used to exprefs any of the divine Actions, or Nature, must be used Metaphorically, and not be taken in fo ftrict a Senfe, as when they are used properly, and according to their original Application, Now the Satisfaction which is here meant, is not fuch a Satisfaction as an angry Man requires, but a judicial or forenfical Satisfaction, which a Governour requires of an Offender, upon the Violation of his Laws. Now whereas the whole Oeconomy of our Salvation is delivered in Scripture in forenfical Terms, as when God is reprefented as a Judge, Man as an Offender or Criminal, God's Word as the Law by which he is condemned, Death as the Punishment, Chrift as a Mediator and Surety, his Death as an avialev, or Price of Redemption; now I think it not at all improper to call that which Chrift did

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to free us from the Obligation we were under to the divine Juftice, upon Account of our Sins, by the Name of Satisfaction. For this is no bloody revengeful Satiffaction, which impotent and paffionate Minds are wont to call for; but only fuch a juft Debt as ought to be paid to the Juftice of God, confidered as the Governour of the World. I am not infenfible, that fome Calvinistical Writers have carried this Matter a little too far, by leaving no Room at all for the Mercy of God to exert it felf in this wonderful Difpenfation, and making the divine Juftice to require a Satisfaction to be made, by the fame fpecifick infinite Punishments which we had deferved, in the Sufferings of our Saviour; fo as to think that no Satisfaction could be, unless Chrift actually fuffered upon the Crofs all the eternal Torments of the damned intenfivè, as they fpeak, though not extenfive; fo that our Saviour in his Agony and Crucifixion, muft fuffer Torments as much infinitely greater than damned Souls, as their Eternity of Suffering is longer than the Hours of our Savi our's Paffion. But this has no Foundation in Scripture, and feems horrid to Chriftian Ears. It is enough to fay, That the Mercy of God difpofed him to accept of the temporal Sufferings of Chrift for our Sins in Lieu of the eternal Punishments, which we had deferved. And fo the infinite Dignity of the Perfon fuffering was a fufficient Satisfaction to the divine Juftice offended; and unfpeakable Mercy was fhewn to offending Mankind, by being freed from that Punishment which otherways they muft have undergone themselves. So that Infidel and Socinian Scoffers do very ill to arraign the Mercy of God, and to tax him with Revenge and Implacability in demanding fuch a legal Satisfaction; for by the fame Rules they might expofe all the Legislative Authority in the World when Criminals fuffer by their Sanctions. For there is no other Way to maintain the Legiflator's Honour, and to engage Men to obferve his Laws, but by inflicting an exemplary Punishment on Offenders: For otherways their Laws would be but Cobwebs, and their Authority the May-game of licentious Tranfgreffors. But in this

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vicarious Punishment of Chrift for us, God is far from fhewing himself an angry or implacable Governour; but does rather manifeft the greatest Tenderness and Compaffion in being willing that all the World should efcape their deferved Punishment, and Chrift only fuffer for them all; and inaccepting the temporal Pains of his Crofs for those of eternal Death, which they had deferved.

2. Neither is it unjust that Chrift should undergo a Avicarious vicarious Punishment for us. For that vicarious Punish- Punishment ments are not in themselves abfolutely unjuft, may be not unjus proved not only from Scripture-Inftances, where Chil dren are punished for their Parents, and Subjects for their Princes; but by the Notion which the moft civilifed Nations have always had of the Lawfulness of punishing Sureties for the Parties they were engaged for, by their denying the publick Honours to the Children of notori ous Offenders, by Decimations in their Armies, and by killing the innocent Hoftages when the Articles were not performed. Now if the Greeks and Romans, who of all other Nations pretend to the exacteft Rules of the aquum bonumque, could fee no Obliquity in thefe vicarious Punishments; there is certainly a far lefs Pretence of Injuftice to be laid to God's Charge in ordering Chrift to fuffer for the Sins of the World. Now it is impoffible here that there should be any Injuftice, or Injury. Here was no Injuftice done to Chrift; for he was pleafed voluntarily to lay down his Life for us. Neither was it any Injustice done to God; for God authorifed him to do it, by a mutual Stipulation betwixt the Father and the Son. And our Saviour fays exprefly, Joh. x. 18. I have Power or Authority, xoian, to lay down my Life. So that there is no more Injustice committed in our Saviour's laying down his Life in a voluntary Suffering for us; than there is in his laying it down according to Socinus's Notion, for a Teftimony of his Doctrine. And I am fure I could prove it as equally unjuft, for God to put him Ирсп

* Gen. ix. 25. 2 Sam. xxi. 8. 2 Sam. xxiv, 15. Ją. vii. 14. 1 Kings xxi. 29.

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preaching a Doctrine that would coft him his Life, as to let him lay down his Life to fave a World.

Chrift, the 3. And as for your tragical Exclamations against the God, might orthodox Doctrine which makes the eternal Son of God, juffer. who is himself God bleffed for ever, to be incarnate, and to fuffer for the Sins of the World; this does by no Means render the Deity paffible, a Notion which all Chriftians abhor. But by reafon of the Union of the Deity with Fleth or Humanity, which was paffible, Chrift was then in a Poffibility of Suffering; and thofe Sufferings which were proper only to one Nature, are attributed to the whole Perfon by Reafon of the intimate Union of the two Natures. Nay, the Scripture it felf attributes the Properties of the inferior Nature, viz. the Humanity, to the Divinity the fuperior one. As when it is faid, that we are redeemed by the Blood of God; we muft not think as if God could bleed or die, but that That Perfon who was both God and Man, who by Virtue of his Humanity, was capable of Suffering, laid down his Life for us, to redeem us. Now here is nothing in this of Abfurdity, but only adorable Mystery, and admirable Wifdom, which the Thoughts of Man could never have reached to, and no human Counsel could ever have contrived: To find out fuch a Way to fave the Souls of loft Mankind, and to fecure God's Honour, and the Authority of his Laws.

Phil. I have one Thing more to object to you upon this Head, and that is the Chriftian Doctrine which you teach about Chrift's Interceffion; and that is fo odd and grofs a Notion, as no rational Man can affent to. For you make Chrift continually at his Prayers in Heaven to God the Father, to pardon the Sins of Mankind upon their Repentance, and to beftow his Benefits upon them; which God in his own Nature is inclined to do, without this Buftle of Interceffion. Befides, it looks like a Piece of Pageantry (as your Doctors explain it) to have Christ continually exhibiting the Wounds of his crucified Body to the Father, to move him to Compaffion, and to put him in Mind of the Sacrifice he was made for Man's Sins, which it is impoffible that an omnipotent Knowledge

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could be unmindful of. Methinks this looks like a Piece of Homerick Divinity, when the Poet defcribes Heaven according to all the Formalities and Sillineffes which are feen in human Nature.

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Cred. There is nothing in the Chriftian Doctrine of No InconInterceffion but what is agreeable to good Senfe and Rea-gruity in fon: And all Expreffions which do feem to imply any trine of fuch Grofsnefs in them, as you imagine, muft only be Chrift's Inunderstood figuratively. To what State of Blifs the glo- terceffion. rified Body of our bleffed Saviour is exalted, whilft we poor Christians live in this Vale of Mifery and Tears, we are not able to imagine; or with what divine Actions his Humanity is employ'd. All that we can be certain of is what the Scripture tells us, that we have an Advocate with the Father Jefus Chrift the righteous, 1 John ii. 1. that he is faid to intercede for us at the right Hand of God, Rom. viii. that he is entred into Heaven it felf, now to appear in the Prefence of God for us, Heb. ix. 24. that he is a Prieft continually, and his Blood Speaks better Things than that of Abel, that he offers his own Sacrifice for Sin for ever, Heb. ix.25. and the like. Now there is no Need to affert, that all thefe Expreffions are taken literally, when it is plain that many of them are Metaphors taken from the Levitical Law, from the piacular Sacrifices, from the Interceffion of the High-Prieft for the People, from his entring into the Sanctum Sanctorum, &c. Now St. Paul makes Use of these ritual Phrafes, the better to explain to the Jewish Converts the Nature and Efficacy of Chrift's Death, from thofe outward Ceremonies of the Mofaical Law, which they were well acquainted with. And I doubt not but the Unbelievers themselves do think thefe Expreffions are metaphorical; but only they have a Mind to be picking up fomething to be flinging at Religion, though they are at the fame Time fure it will do no Harm.

Phil. Pardon me, Sir, for this, and I will not at prefent trouble you with any more Infidel-Objections; and or the rest of the Time that you will honour me with your Company, I will endeavour to entertain you with more inoffenfive Difcourfe. Though I cannot but acknowledge

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