i

hath he bought them? Why, by paying a price for them, a Λύβον, a price of Redemption. And what price was this? why his own blood. [Yee are redeemed with the pre cious blood of Jesus Christ (faith Saint Peter) 1 Peter 1. 18. Thou wast slain, andhast re deemed us to God by thy blood, Rev. 5.9. In whom we have Redemption through his blood, Eph.1.7. id eft, his death and paffion, which was the principall piece of his obedience. This was that Λύβον, (as our Saviour himfelfe calleth it) that price of Redemption which he gave for his Elect. The Sonne of Man came to give his life a Ransome for many, Mat. 20.28. A Ransome, Λύβον, Redemptorium, a price of Redemption; that by his death he might free and deliver them from death.

And thus faith our Apostle here in this verse after the Text, that Christ gave himself ἀντίλυβον, a Counterprice, a Ransome; fubmitting himselfe to the like punishment that his redeemed ones should have undergone. So the Apostle fully expresseth it Galat. 3. 13. (Which place we may well look upon as a P Periphrafis, an Exposition of this word ἀντίλυβον, shewing us how Christ is said to have given himselfe a Ransome for us,) Christ (faith he) hath redee med us from the curse of the Law; being made a curse for us. Subjecting himself to that fame curse of the Law, under which all mankind lay; and that for the delivering his Elect

from it.

To the fame purpose are those other

Christ a true

Texts, which for substance speaketh the Came thing, John 6. 51. where Chrift faith Suretie. that he gave his flesh for the life of the world,] Titus 2. 14. [He gave himselfe før us that he might redeem us. Thus was Jesus Christ a true Surety; Αντίψυχος, one that gave his life for the life of others; as the Poet faith of Castor and Pollux, that the si fratrem Polone redeemed the others life with his own lux alterna mordeath. So did the Lord Jesus, this our Media- te redemit: tour, he became such a Surety for his Elect, Virgil.Æneid.

giving himselfe an Α'ντίλυτρων, a Ransome for them.

1

6.

Alleg. Now, how will the Adversary eva de The Socinian this? why, it is true (faith Socinus ;) This Doctrine. Christ hath done to deliver us from the punish- Vide Grotium ment of fin: But how? not in way of fatif de fatisfact. faction to God, by procuring from him a dif. cap. 1. & cap.8. charge of our debt: How then? why only in reference to us, that by this means we being induced to believe the truth of his Dotrine, thus confirmed and fealed by his death, and yeilding obedience unto God, ac cording to the pattern that he had fet before us, we might obtain Remiffion of fins, and Eternall life, which upon our repentance, and new obedience, God hath promised to give. This is the summe (as Grotius hath cast it up) of what Socinus hath to say in this bufinesse.

1.0

Reply. But how unsatisfactory is this? what - Reply is all this to the Texts alledged? which affert a

The death of

Redemption properly so called; affirming that Chrift proper

we are bought, bought with a price, a Counterprice, redeemed by a Ransome. Now a Price, a Ransome, is somewhat that is tendred and given to the Deliverer for the redeemed; not to the redeemed themselves. And such was the death of Jesus Christ: a Price; and that properly so called; So much may be collected from that place of Saint Peter, 1 Pet.1. 18,19. where he telleth the believers to whom he writes, [Ye are redeemed not with corruptible things, as filver and gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. So comparing one price with another; filver and gold, with the blood of Christ: Now the former, (silver and gold) given in way of Redemption, is a true price; and so is the later, the Blood of Jesus Christ, a true λύτρων, a true and proper price of Redemption, given unto God as a valuable consideration for the fatisfaction of his Justice. Away then with all those mysts or fogs; which are or may be raised by any, for the obscuring and darkning of this Truth of God, which shineth so clearly through these emphaticall phrases and expressions of Scripture alledged, as surely that eye must either be weak or wilful, that doth not, or will not fee and acknowledge it.

Socinus propriè Alleg. As for that which Socinus alledgdictum λύτρον feu precium de-eth, that a Price must be somewhat that is finit, id quod a given to, and received by one that fetteth detinente acci-another free it is not worth the answe

pitur. Vide
Grot.de Satisf, ring.

cap. 8.

,

Reply. For fuch was the death of Christ. It

was

was such a price as God the Father received, ac- Accepted of - cepted by way of fatisfaction for thole for whom God by way of it was tendred: being contented with it. As it satisfaction. was under the Law, what was there which any wayes accrued unto God from any of those Sacrifices? what did he receive from them, which might any wayes turn to his account in way of advantage? Onely this was enough; they were accepted of him, as you have it, Lev. 20.27. And fo was it with this Sacrifice of the death of Christ, which was prefigured by those -facrifices; Though God properly received nothing for it, yet it was accepted of him. But I shal no longer dwell upon this evidence; neither shall I over-do the work in hand by alledging many more; yet I must remember that Foundations cannot be too surely laid specially where Earthquakes are frequent, as they are in the Church amongst us at this day. And therefore let me yet subjoyn two or three.

e

In the next place, what shall we say to those Arg.3. Texts of the Apostle, where he holdeth forth the death of Christ, as the meritorious and pro- Christ the mecuring cause of our Reconciliation with God pritorious caufe The places are wel known, let them be of our Reconseriously ciliation. weighed and considered, Rom. 5.10. When we were enemies, we were reconciled unto God by the death of his Son, Ephef. 2. 16. That he might -reconcile both, (viz. Jews and Gentiles) unto God in one bodyby the Crossfe, Col.1.20. And having made peace through the blood of his -Crosse, by him to reconcile all things to himselfe.

Allegat. Socinian Eva

fion.

Col.1.21.

To be reconci

In all which places the Apostle clearly holdeth forth the death of Jesus Christ as the proper meanes of procuring our Reconciliation with God.

As for

Allegat. To this the adversary answers (as before.) True, by this meanes wee are Reconciled unto God; but not God to us. God, he was not an enemy to us, but wee are enemies unto him. He was ready to receive and imbrace us upon our returning to him by repentance: Only wee were averse to him, Enemies in our mindes through wicked workes. Now this indeed Christ by his death effecteth' (fay they) reconciling us unto God, by bring-! ing us unto him in the waies aforesaid, by repenting and believing...

?

Repl. But hereunto we have returned an- | led to God, the swer already; that for us to be reconciled to phrafe cleared and vindica-God, and God to be reconciled to us, imports one and the same thing. This'we have Idem valet nos evidenced by shewing the use of the phrafe in Deo conciliari, Scripture language. To which might be adDeum nobis. ded the confent of profane writers, with whom

red.

Grot.de fatisf. cap.7.

καταλλάσεπαι Θεοῖς, Το be Reconciled to the Grot. ibid. ex Gods, is as much as for the Gods to be reSophocle. conciled to them, who had offended them, that so they might escape their anger and revenge. But we shall not need to go down to the Philistines to sharpen this Goad. In those very places alledged, upon a serious review of of them, we shall finde, that the Reconciliation there spoken of is a reconciling of God to

Man.

That