31, 32; v. 8; to omit other places of like import.) Now, of the two, it is, I conceive, less probable and Gospel-like, that the respective contributions of the Father and the Son towards justification should be of the one and the same kind, than of a different. Yet of the same kind they would be, if both should contribute thereunto by way of merit. Nor do I see how any clear place will be left for praise and thanks unto God the Father from persons justified, for their justification, in case it may be said that Christ properly merited their justification. For to render or give unto a person only that which in rigour or strictness of justice either himself or another hath merited or deserved for him, especially where no occasion or tentation is in the way to persuade him to do otherwise, is scarce any matter of praise to him that doeth it, nor of engagement unto thankfulness upon him who receiveth only his own in such a case. It is true, there is somewhat a like consideration upon a valuable price paid for that which is bought or purchased. If a friend lays down a sum of money for the purchase or procurement of my liberty, and this fully commensurable therewith, and according to agreement with him of whom he is to purchase it, I am thus far, or in this respect, no great debtor of thanks unto him who sets me at liberty upon such terms. But in case he from whom I am to receive my liberty, if I ever enjoy it, being a prudent and just man, and withal at liberty to keep me in bondage for ever, what terms soever should be offered for my ransom, and moreover shall be so principled, that in regard of my foul misdemeanour, by which I became a captive, he could not condescend to grant my liberty, but upon terms highly material and considerable; in this case, I say, I shall be a signal debtor unto him for my liberty, if he shall so far commiserate my misery as to move any of his friends or relations to stand by me in this my great exigent, and to do or suffer that for the procurement of my liberty, upon which he can and will willingly grant it, and especially he being no ways engaged unto me by any service done by me, or courtesy received from me.

Now this is the case between God the Father and men, in the gracious business of justification. First. He was at full liberty, men having sinned, whether ever to have justified any person, or not, on what terms soever. Secondly. Being by nature infinitely prudent and just, he could not judge it meet for him, in case he should be willing or inclinable to justify men,

to do it otherwise than upon terms every ways becoming those his attributes. Thirdly. Such terms as these were not to be procured or had but only from Jesus Christ, and him voluntarily submitting himself unto death for this end. Fourthly. And lastly Jesus Christ, though willing both to do and to suffer whatever he did in either kind, for the justification of men, yet would not have undertaken the business, nor actually either done or suffered any thing in order to their justification, had not the Father been willing to part with him, yea, and actually sent him into the world with order and commission from himself both to do and suffer whatsoever should be requisite on his part thereunto. (John iii. 16.) In these respects, besides others, the generation of men are most signally indebted unto God the Father for their justification, notwithstanding a valuable consideration or price laid down for the procurement of it.

But concerning the word "merit," since it is so generally used by Protestant Divines, and other learned and worthy men, in their writings and discourses about justification, to express the congruity, complete sufficiency, yea, and super-sufficiency, of the doings and sufferings of Christ for the procuring of it, and this without any inconvenience, as far as I know, occasioned thereby, I shall not contend for the laying it aside, or censure in the least those that shall use it; only I conceive that in points and doctrines of so mysterious a nature, and so weighty a consequence, as the doctrine of justification is, it is safest, and best for edification, to use such terms which do with greatest propriety and strictness of notion answer and unfold the words and phrases wherein God himself hath in the Scriptures delivered his mind and counsel in such things unto us.

If it be here, objection-wise, demanded, "But if Christ made a full and complete satisfaction by his death for the sins of men, and hereby satisfied the justice and wisdom of God, so that he cannot justly or equitably require any thing further, either from men themselves, or from any other on their behalf, in order to their discharge, absolution, or justification from their sins, how or upon what account doth he still capitulate with men about their justification, imposing faith upon them,-a

* It is not unlike but that in some of my former writings, before I made a more narrow search into the strict import of the word, I myself have used it in that ordinary notion.

faith working or apt to work by love, yea, and works themselves too, according to the judgment of some, whose words in this case are not guilty, if their sense be innocent,-in the nature of a condition, without the performance whereof no justification is to be had, notwithstanding the satisfaction made by Christ for their sins? Or how is the satisfaction made by Christ complete and full, if justification be not given upon it, without the addition or intervening of some qualification or performance in men? And if God, having received full satisfaction from Christ in his death for the respective debts or sins of men, should yet require satisfaction at their hands also in punishment, for the same debt, whether they believe in him, or no, should he not be unjust? Or is it consistent with justice to demand the same debt twice, or to exact a second satisfaction, when one hath been given already, and this every ways complete and full, and so acknowledged by the creditor and receiver himself?" I answer,

1. The completeness or fulness of Christ's satisfaction is not to be estimated by the will or counsel of God about the appli cation of it, or actual communication of the virtue or benefit of it unto particular men ; but by the proportion which it beareth unto the sin unto which it relateth in the nature of a price, ransom, consideration, or satisfaction. If it be commensurable in rational worth or value unto these, that is, if it be a matter or thing of that nature, consequence, and consideration, that God may, with the salvage or sufficient demonstration of the glory of his justice, or perfect hatred of sin, wisdom, &c., pardon the sins and transgressions of men, without any thing added thereunto by way of satisfaction or punishment, it is in reason to be judged a sufficient or complete satisfaction, although, upon some other account, he suspend the benefit or actual application of it unto particular men, upon reasonable requirements of them otherwise. In case a prince or nobleman, charitably and bountifully disposed, should intend the redemption of a company of persons out of captivity, and in order hereunto should freely give unto him under whom they are in bondage, and who hath power to set them at liberty, a sum of money fully answerable, according to the usual rate in such cases, to the liberty of these persons; but should, withal, desire of or covenant with him to whom he hath given or paid the said money, and who is the present lord of these captives, that he should not actually discharge or set at liberty any man of them, until they had tendered

or made a thankful acknowledgment of his grace and bounty towards them; in this case, I say, the condition of acknowledgment required of these captives by their great benefactors before they are permitted actually to partake of the benefit of the price of their redemption doth no ways argue any scantiness or insufficiency in this price, but only declares the will and pleasure of him that ransometh them concerning their behaviour before their actual redemption.

If it be demanded, "But what, if any or all the captives in this case should so far forget themselves, or be neglective of their own welfare, as not to tender or make such an acknowledgment to their benefactor, what becomes of that money or price laid down by him for their redemption? Would it not argue want of wisdom or providence in him that should lay down a vast sum of money for the redemption of such persons, the far greater part of which he knew beforehand would be never the better for it, nor accept of their liberty upon such terms as he meant to impose on them in order thereunto ?" I answer,

1. To the former of these demands, in case any or all the captives mentioned should be so desperately careless of their own welfare, as not to accept of their deliverance upon those equitable and easy terms on which it is offered them and may be enjoyed by them, their benefactor may, notwithstanding, have consideration for his money, satisfactory unto him, as, namely, both the conscience and honour of his most worthy and heroic act in sparing no cost to bring men out of misery and thraldom. Nor doth the Scripture any where suspend the glorious and high contentment which God takes in that transcendent act of his grace in the gift of his Son for the redemption of the world, upon the faith of those who believe on him by means thereof, or upon the great benefit which, by means of their faith, they actually receive from it, but upon the intrinsical and divine worth and adorableness of the act itself. Yea, the Scripture seems to make that great act of grace we speak of, of one and the same consideration or contentment unto God, whether men reap benefit by it, or no. "For we are unto God," saith the Apostle, a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish." (2 Cor. ii. 15.) So that Christ, that is, his grace vouchsafed unto the world by Christ, for their salvation, is of the same or like savour, sweet and pleasing, unto God, whether men accept it, and so are saved by it, or whether

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they reject it and perish notwithstanding it. It is true, upon another account, God is highly offended with men when they reject his grace; as, namely, because herein they act most foolishly and irrationally, not because they diminish or make any breach upon his contentment in vouchsafing such grace unto them.

2. To the latter demand, whether it would not argue want of wisdom or providence, &c., I answer,

(1.) That it argues neither want of wisdom nor providence in him that shall part with a great sum of money for the ransom of many thousand captives, although he should know beforehand that the greater part would be never the better for it, nor accept of their freedom upon the terms imposed on them in order thereunto, in case it be supposed that he knew that a considerable part of them, however, would accept of the favour, to the unspeakable benefit of their enlargement. Yea, as was lately argued, though he had foreknown that none of them would have accepted their liberty upon the terms required of them, yet had the honour, reputation, and conscience of such an act been a reasonable compensation for the money disbursed. But,

(2.) Such a demand as this is unproper to the case in hand. For it cannot be truly said that God foreknew or foresaw that the greater part of men would reject his grace in Christ, and so perish, this notwithstanding, before this grace was given unto them, at least in his unchangeable counsel, purpose, and decree. For his decree of sending or giving Christ for the ransom of the world was from before the world began, I mean, from eternity; and, consequently, there could nothing precede or be before it, especially in order of time, it being a rule of unquestionable truth that in æternis non est prius aut posterius. But,

3. To the first objection or demand I answer further, that God's purpose or design in the death of Christ was not simply or absolutely either to justify or save men by it, neither did he judge it agreeable to his wisdom and righteousness so to do; but to do both the one and the other conditionally, and upon terms such as he judged meet to prescribe and impose upon them for the obtaining of these great privileges and blessings by it. "God so loved the world," said our Saviour himself, "that he gave his only-begotten Son," not that all men, or that any