help for him, and that he is perhaps a reprobate; and therefore he sometimes resolves that he will not endeavour any more to be saved. But his distress and fear of perdition will not suffer him to rest, until, being wholly stripped and bare, he asks the word and servants of God, "what he must do to be saved?" like the jailer, Acts xvi. 30.

What doth the instructor now do with such a person? doth he say, like physicians of no value, Thou must not be so sad, this sorrowfulness proceeds from Satan, thou must banish it, God is merciful, Christ hath died for us, thou must believe this firmly, forsake evil, and do good, and pray to God? no: for this is only daubing with untempered mortar, it neither heals, nor relieves the soul. But the instructor, desirous that a godly sorrow should penetrate the sinner, that the tranquillity of his mind may be perfect and established by a perfect righteousness of an all-sufficient Mediator, detains him a while under his concern, yea, he increaseth it by showing him. that there is no way to obtain deliverance, as long as the justice of God is not satisfied he saith, God will have his justice satisfied," &c.

:

The justice of God denotes here his natural right, by which he is entitled, on account of his glory and sovereignty, to require a perfect obedience of man. Therefore the prophet saith, "Who would not fear thee, thou King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain," Jer. x. 7, and when man doth not obey him, to punish him temporally and eternally. Even "the Gentiles know 'the judgment (or right) of God, that they who do such things are worthy of death," Rom. i. 32. This right God hath expressed in his law, and it is therefore called, "the righteousness of the Jaw," Rom. viii. 4. "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man who doth these things shall live by them," Rom. x. 5, and "cursed is every one who continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them," Gal. iii. 10.

This is satisfied, (1) by suffering fully and completely the punishment threatened in consequence of sin: thus "God made his Son, who knew no sin, to be sin," 2 Cor. v. 21, to wit, by inflicting the punishment of sin upon him. This is indeed sufficient to deliver the sinner from punishment, but it doth not give him a right to life; and therefore a satisfaction requires also, (2) a perfect obedience, which the law of God demands in order to life: "By the obedience of one many shall be made righteous," Rom. v. 19.

God "will" have his justice satisfied. The Socinians deny that God will have this, and they conceive that such a satisfaction is not necessary; yea, that God can recede from his right, and that he hath actually receded from it, and hath therefore abolished the law of

Moses, and established a better law by Christ, as a new lawgiver, instead of the old law. The Remonstrants will indeed admit, that satisfaction must be made to God, in order to our deliverance; but not that the justice of God must be perfectly satisfied: but that nothing more is necessary, than that the will of God should be satisfied, which doth not demand all that the sinner hath forfeited; and that God, by a gracious estimation accepts of this, instead of a perfect satisfaction. And they must speak thus, if they will maintain their doctrine, that Christ suffered for all men; for if he satisfied the justice of God for all men, then all men must be saved. Now all men are not saved, even according to the opinion of our adversaries, and so Christ could not have satisfied the justice of God for them. And therefore they say, that he hath by his death satisfied the will of God, and that God was moved thereby to establish a covenant of grace with all men, and to require of them, as the condition of that covenant, faith, obedience and perseverance, and that he gives them a sufficient grace to fulfil those conditions.

This doctrine is opposed by all the orthodox, who say that "God will have his justice satisfied." But how doth God will this? only by his decree, and mere good pleasure, by which he could even have willed to forgive sin without a satisfaction, as he wills many things by his decree, which he might have willed otherwise, as that there should be more or fewer men than there are? Thus some divines think on this subject. Or doth God will that there should be a satisfaction, on account of his holy and righteous nature, whereby he cannot be willing to forgive sin without a satisfaction: for instance, God will be obeyed by his reasonable creatures, and it is his will that what is reasonable should be holy, and he cannot will otherwise ? This we maintain with the most divines, and this is the doctrine of the catechism also, as appears from the words, " The justice of God requires that sin, which is committed against the most high majesty of God, be punished with extreme punishment,” Questisn 2. "God will have his justice satisfied," Question 12. "With respect to the justice and truth of God, satisfaction can be made for our sins no otherwise than by the death of the Son of God," Question 40. And we do not teach without reason, that God cannot, without a satisfaction to his justice, suffer the sinner to escape punishment, and receive him again into favour: for, (besides what we have said on the foregoing Lord's day, that sin must necessarily be punished) Paul

saith.

1. Heb. ii. 10. "It became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the

It is no impotency nor imperfection in God, that he cannot forgive sin without a satisfaction, any more than that he cannot be tempted of evil," James iii. 13. (f) Finally, some say that God might, in the work of redemption, have willed something different from what he hath willed. For instance, God willed that Christ should satisfy for some sinners; but he might have willed that he should satisfy for all. And so they conceive that God, who hath now willed that satisfaction should be made for sin, might have willed to forgive sin without a satisfaction. But a satisfaction for some, or for all, affects .not the divine holiness and justice, and so not the nature of the satisfaction, but only the objects of the satisfaction. God might have decreed from all eternity that his Son should suffer for all men, but not that some, or many sinners, should escape punishment, and be again received into favour without a satisfaction.

Since now a satisfaction to the justice of God is necessary, we therefore conclude "that we must make this satisfaction, either by ourselves, or by another."

32.

"We must make full satisfaction then, either by ourselves or by another." We should satisfy by ourselves, if we suffered and fulfilled in our own persons the selfsame things, which are required by the law, in its strictest demands, and if this should deliver us without any intervening grace, or forgiveness: for it is the judgment of God that they who do evil things are worthy of death." Rom. i. This is called by lawyers solutio, payment, and by divines, "the righteousness of the law," according Rum. x. 5. And we should y satisfy by another, if some other should take our place, as a surety, to satisfy for us, and in our stead. This would, nevertheless, not effect our deliverance by itself, but only by a favourable permission of the divine Judge, who should admit the surety, impute our debt to him, and his righteousness to us. And we should thus satisfy by another, not actively and indeed, but passively; inasmuch as the satisfaction is made by another in our stead, and by imputation. And therefore we cannot say that believers satisfy properly by the surety, as if the Son of God were not an absolute surety, expromissor, under the Old Testament, who did not take the debt upon himself.bsolutely, but conditionally, to wit, if the elect should not make satisfaction themselves, and that he left it on them, and that God did on this occount continually charge and upbraid them with their sins; for then they must have proffered the surety themseves, and God would not have trusted that his Son would certainly satisfy, neither would he then have been "slain from the foundation of the world," Rev. xiii. 8. Neither would cha -onifiana of the 14 5.

tament have been shadows, which certified, like sacraments, the old believers, that he would truly take away sins; and they would not have been admitted into heaven, inasmuch as they were still subject to guilt. Therefore we must say that we satisfy passively by another, and through the gracious imputation of God; and this is called by lawyers, satisfactio, satisfaction; and by divines, " the righteousness of the gospel, and of faith," according to Rom. i. 16, 17x. 6, 11; because the law knoweth nothing of such a satisfaction, and it is revealed only in the gospel, and received by faith, although the law cannot disapprove of it, if the Lawgiver will admit and accept it; for "the law is not made void by faith, but established." Rom. iii. 31.

This satisfaction, whether it be made by ourselves, or by another, must be a "full" satisfaction. All that the law threatens must be suffered, and all that it commands must be obeyed: for otherwise God will still be "wroth" with the sinner, “and deliver him to the tormentors, till he shall pay all that is due to hini," Matt. xviii. 34. And therefore the acceptilatis, or gracious estimation of the Remonstrants, by which God would accept of a part of the satisfaction, instead of the whole, cannot be admitted here: for "the judgment of God is according to truth," Rom ii. 2.

But can a satisfaction for a guilty person by another be admitted before the divine tribunal? The Socinians say, nay, because human tribunals will not permit an innocent person to be punished, and to make satisfaction, as a surety for another who is guilty; but we conceive that this may very properly be admitted before the divine tribunal, if the supreme Judge will graciously permit it; for (a) a surety is admitted in cases of debt by a secular judge. We may derive a proof from this, because the Socinians themselves infer from suretiship for debts, that grace and pardon cannot be exercised, if Christ made a perfect satisfaction. (b) One man hath also frequently been permitted to become a surety for another in cases of guilt, as Reuben and Judah became sureties for Benjamin, Gen. xlii, 37. xlili. 3. xliv. 32, 33. See also Rom. v. 7. (c) It hath appeared from the seventh question, that the sin of Adam, whereby he became guilty, was imputed to us: why then cannot our guilt also be imputed to a proper surety? (d) It will appear moreover hereafter that Christ became a surety, and that he satisfied; and was therefore admitted before the divine tribunal. (e) Cannot one be admitted as a surety for another before a human tribunal in case of guilt, it is because no human judge is lord of the life of another, as neither is any man lord of bis own life, so as to become a surety for another: it would also

be an injury to the community, if a good citizen should perish in making satisfaction for another, and the evil citizen should remain alive; but we must consider matters otherwise before the divine tribunal, since God is lord of every man's life, and the surety, who is required here, is lord of his own life, according to the fifteenth question: he can also deliver himself from death, and can reform and sanctify the abominable sinner, and so the kingdom of God will not be injured, but profited by his death.

But would not God then recede from his right, contrary to what hath been taught before? no, for God's right would be satisfied, and there would only be a gracious translation, by which God's right, and the guilt of the sinner would be transferred from the sinner to the surety, which was also done, according to Rom. iii. 20, 21. viii. 3, 4. 2 Cor. v. 21.

If the sinner could now make full satisfaction by himself, or by another he would be delivered; but it is certain, that he cannot satisfy by himself. The Papists imagine, " that we can make a partial satisfaction by ourselves, if we do not daily increase our debt by adding sin to sin." They distinguish between an equivalent satis faction, which we cannot make by ourselves, and between an imperfect satisfaction, which should nevertheless be sufficient, because God should forgive sins in consequence of it with a certain fitness. We can effect this imperfect satisfaction by many good works and suffer. ings, in and after this life, according to the Romanists; but the word of God doth not acknowledge an imperfect satisfaction, but only a perfect one, and "man cannot answer God one a thousand, when he contends with him," and demands satisfaction, according to Jab x. 2, 3, Psalm cxxx. 3. and besides this we say, (a) that the price of the redemption necessary for a satisfaction is too precious for a man to pay it; "he owes ten thousand talents," perfect obedience and eternal punishment, and "he hath nothing wherewith to pay," Matt. xvi i. 24, 25. (b) "We also increase our debt daily." This is done not only by those, who are uncommonly wicked, as the spiritual "Babylon, whose sins," heaped one upon another, "reach unto heaven," Rev. xviii. 5, but by all other men, who are still under a broken covenant of works, of which the instructor speaks here, “having, according to the righteous judgment of Ged, deserved temporal and eternal punishments." See how they are exhibited in their complicated iniquities, Rom. iii. 9-19. Believers themselves do all offend in many instances, James iii. 2. See also 1 Kings viii. 46. Rev. xx. 9 Eccl. vii. 20. (c) Let us admit, that we should henceforward be perfectly holy and sinless, we could not thereby atone for our past guilt, because we owe this both at present and in future,