give all diligence to make their calling and election sure :" but that justification should consist herein, is a strange notion. Justification, in the Scripture, is an act of God, pronouncing an ungodly person, upon his believing, to be absolved from the guilt of sin, and interested in the all-sufficient righteousness of Christ; so 'God justifies the ungodly,' Rom. iv. 5. by the righteousness of God, which is by the faith of Christ unto them, Rom. iii. 22. making Christ to become righteousness to them, who were in themselves sin; but of this manifestation of eternal love, there is not the least foundation, as to be the form of justification, which yet is not without sense and perception of the love of God, in the improvement thereof.

Secondly, The Scripture is exceeding clear in making all men, before actual reconciliation, to be in the like state and condition, without any real difference at all; the Lord reserving to himself his distinguishing purpose of the alteration he will afterward by his free grace effect. There is none that doeth good no not one;' Rom. iii. For' we have proved that Jews and Gentiles are all under sin;' ver. 9, 10. All mankind is in the same condition in respect of themselves and their own real state, which truth is not at all prejudiced by the relation they are in to the eternal decrees. For every mouth is stopped, and all the world is become. guilty before God;' Rom. iii. 19. úπódоç, obnoxious to his judgment. Who makes thee differ from another, or what hast thou that thou hast not received;' 1 Cor. iv. 7. All distinguishment in respect of state and condition, is by God's actual grace; for even believers, are by nature children of wrath as well as others;' Eph. ii. 3. The condition then of all men, during their unregeneracy, is one and the same; the purpose of God concerning the difference that shall be, being referred to himself. Now I ask, whether reprobates in that condition lie under the effects of God's wrath or no? If ye say no, who will believe you? If so, why not the elect also? The same condition hath the same qualifications ; an actual distinguishment we have proved there is not: produce some difference, that hath a real existence, or the cause is lost.

Thirdly, Consider what it is to lie under the effects of God's wrath, according to the declaration of the Scripture, and then see how the elect are delivered therefrom, before

their actual calling. Now this consists in divers things; as, 1. To be in such a state of alienation from God, as that none of their services are acceptable to him; the prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord;' Prov. xxviii. 9. 2. To have no outward enjoyment sanctified, but to have all things unclean unto them; Tit. i. 15. Thirdly, To be under the power of Satan, who rules at his pleasure in the children of disobedience; Eph. ii. 2. Fourthly, To be in bondage unto death; Heb. ii. 14. Fifthly, To be under the curse and condemning power of the law; Gal. iii. 13. Sixthly, To be obnoxious to the judgment of God, and to be guilty of eternal death and damnation; Rom. iii. 19. Seventhly, To be under the power and damnation of sin, reigning in them; Rom. vi. 17. These and such like are those which we call the effects of God's anger. Let now any one tell me what the reprobates in this life lie under more? And do not all the elect, until their actual reconciliation in and by Christ, lie under the very same? For, first, Are not their prayers an abomination to the Lord? Can they without faith please God? Heb. xi. 6. And faith we suppose them not to have; for if they have they are actually reconciled. Secondly, Are they not under the power of Satan? If not, how comes Christ in and for them to destroy the works of the devil? Did not he come to deliver his, from him that had the power of death, that is, the devil? Heb. ii. 14. Eph. ii. 2. Thirdly, Are their enjoyments sanctified unto them? Hath any thing a sanctified relation without faith? See 1 Cor. vii. 14. Fourthly, Are they not under bondage unto death? The apostle affirms plainly that they are so all their lives, until they are actually freed by Jesus Christ; Heb. ii. 14. Fifthly, Are they not obnoxious unto judgment, and guilty of eternal death? How is it then that Paul says, that there is no difference, but that all are subject to the judgment of God, and are guilty before him? Rom. iii. 9. And that Christ saves them from this wrath which (in respect of merit) was to come upon them? Rom. v. 9. 1 Thess. i. Sixthly, Are they not under the curse of the law? How are they freed from it? By Christ being made a curse for them; Gal. iii. 13. Are they not under the dominion of sin? God be thanked, says Paul, ye were the servants of sin, but have obeyed, &c. Rom. vi. 17. In brief, the Scripture is in nothing more plentiful, than in laying and charging all the

misery and wrath of and due to an unreconciled condition, upon the elect of God, until they actually partake in the deliverance by Christ.

But now, some men think to wipe away all that hath been said, in a word; and tell us, that all this is so, but only in their own apprehension; not that those things are so indeed and in themselves: but, if these things be so to them, only in their apprehensions, why are they otherwise to the rest of the whole world? The Scripture gives us no difference nor distinction between them: and if it be so with all, then let all get this apprehension as fast as they can, and all shall be well with the whole world, now miserably captived under a misapprehension of their own condition; that is, let them say the Scripture is a fable, and the terror of the Almighty a scarecrow to fright children; that sin is only in conceit; and so square their conversation to their blasphemous fancies: some men's words eat as a canker.

Fourthly, Of particular places of Scripture, which might abundantly be produced to our purpose, I shall content myself to name only one; John iii. 36. He that believeth not the Son the wrath of God abideth on him:' it abideth, there it was, and there it shall remain, if unbelief be continued: but upon believing is removed. But is not God's love unchangeable, by which we shall be freed from his wrath? Who denies it? But is an apprentice free, because he shall be so at the end of seven years? Because God hath proposed to free his, in his own time, and will do it: are they therefore free before he doth it? But are we not in Christ from all eternity? Yes, chosen in him we are, therefore in some sense in him. But how? Even as we are? Actually a man cannot be in Christ until he be. Now how are we from eternity? Are we eternal? No: only God from eternity hath purposed that we shall be. Doth this give us an eternal being? Alas, we are of yesterday, our being in Christ, respecteth only the like purpose, and therefore from thence can be made only the like inference.

This being then cleared, it is, I hope, apparent to all, how 'miserable a strained consequence it is, to argue from God's decree of election to the overthrow of Christ's merit and satisfaction; the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ, being indeed the chief means of carrying along that purpose unto

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ARGUMENTS AGAINST

execution, the pleasure of the Lord prospering in his ha yea, the argument may be retorted karà rò Biov, and will b undeniable on the other side; the consequence being ende from the purpose of God to save sinners, to the satisfactio. of Christ for those sinners; the same act of God's will, sets us apart from eternity for the enjoyment of all blessings in heavenly places, sets also apart Jesus Christ ti be the purchaser and procurer of all those spiritual blessing as also to make satisfaction for all their sins: which that he did (being the main thing opposed) we prove by these enst ing arguments.

CHAP. IX.

Being a second part of the former digression. Arguments to pract
the satisfaction of Christ.

If Christ so took our sins, and had them by God so laid and
imposed on him, as that he underwent the punishment due
unto them in our stead, then he made satisfaction to the jus-
tice of God for them, that the sinners might go free: but
Christ so took and bare our sins, and them so laid upon him,
as that he underwent the punishment due unto them, and
that in our stead: therefore he made satisfaction to the jus-
tice of God for them. The consequent of the proposition is
apparent, and was before proved; of the assumption there be
three parts severally to be confirmed. First, That Christ
took and bare our sins, God laying them on him. Secondly,
That he so took them, as to undergo the punishment due
unto them. Thirdly, That he did this in our stead.

For the first, that he took and bare our sins, ye have it, 1 John i. 29. ô aipwv," &c. 'who taketh away the sins of the world;' 1 Pet. ii. 24. óç ávévnykev, 'who his own self bare our sins in his own body;' Isa. liii. 11. D› their iniquities he shall bear,' and ver. 12. Nhe bare the sin of many." That God also laid or imposed our sins on him is no less apparent; Isa. liii. 6. 'the Lord y'a made to meet on him the iniquity of us all ;' 2 Cor. v. 21. áμapríav έroinσe, he made him to be sin for us.'

■ Aufert. sustulit. tulit.

The second branch is, that in thus doing, our Saviour unwent the punishment due to the sins which he bare, which re laid upon him; which may be thus made manifest: Death, hed the curse of the law, contain the whole of the punishment e to sin; Gen. ii. 17. n 'dying thou shalt die,' is at which was threatened. Death was that which entered sin;' Rom. v. 12. Which word in those places is compreensive of all misery due to our transgression: which also is eld out in the curse of the law, Deut. xxvii. 26. Cursed be e that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them :' hat all evils of punishment whatsoever are comprised in nese, is unquestionably evident. Now Jesus Christ, in bearng our sins, underwent both these, for by the grace of God le tasted of death; Heb. ii. 9. By death delivering from [[ leath; ver. 14. he was not 'spared, but given up to death for is all;' Rom. viii. 32. So also the curse of the law, Gal. nii. 13. yevóμevos kaтápa, he was made a curse for us,' and τι ἐπικατάρατος, cursed. And this by the way of undergoing the punishment that was in death and curse: for by these it pleased the Lord to bruise him, and put him to grief; Isa. liii. 10. yea ouк ¿Qɛíσaro, he spared him not;' Rom. viii. 32. but 'condemned sin in his flesh;' Rom. viii. 3. It remaineth only to shew that he did this in our steads, and the whole argument is confirmed.

Now this also our Saviour himself maketh apparent; Matt. xx. 28. He came δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν, 'to give himself a ransom for many;' the word åvrì always supposeth a commutation, and change of one person or thing instead of another, as shall be afterward declared; so Matt. ii. 22. so 1 Tim. ii. 6. 1 Pet. iii. 18. 'He died for us, the just for the unjust.' And Psal. Ixix. 4. 'I restored or paid that which I did not take,' viz. our debt so far as that thereby we are discharged; as Rom. viii. 34. where it is asserted upon this very ground, that he died in our stead; and so the several parts of this first argument are confirmed.

If Jesus Christ paid into his Father's hands, a valuable price and ransom for our sins, as our surety, so discharging the debt that we-lay under, that we might go free; then did he bear the punishment due to our sins, and make satisfaction to the justice of God for them (for to pay such a ransom, is to make such satisfaction), but Jesus Christ paid