Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT763 .B35 1655

(127) knowledge of God himfelf, and fo of his holyNature and Will, is their Law , which conjoyned with perfeA Love and holynefs, will procure perfect obedience and bleffednefs) But lure I am that as the Angels themfelves, when they (fome of them) fell , were fubjeaed to penalty, and to its like did before live under a kinde of penal Law, that is, knew that if they finned.they fliould fuller, fa much moreclear is it to us, that man, while he is in flefb , is not otherwife to be governed agreeably to his nature.And Grace it fell is not givenhim to be inftead of this Law, and fo to make it void, but to conform him to it in mind and life. And as threatnings are of neceflity for the Government of the Saints themfelves, fo are fome degree of execution. For a threatning which we know (hall never be executed, though we offend, is no threatning : and is as difhonourable to the Lawgiver, as ufelefs to the fubjea ; ex- cept where the fame Lawgiver prefcribeth certain terms and means for remedy,and fo the cafe is divolved thither.Nor did God fee it confifient with our prefent fafety here, to remedy the whole by a perfea Impunity. Man bath flefb and fenfe, as well as Reafon , and bath need of fame Execution as well as of the threatning. Conclu. 35. Noneof a Believers Caftigatory punifhments, do in the leaft meafure fatisfieGods Juffice : Yet is there fome De- monftration of Juftice in and by them fo far as they are punifh. merits ; though there may be a far greater Demonftrationof Love , in and by them , in regard of the good to which they are intended. CO4CIP. 3 6. It is not the leaft difhonor to Chrifis fatisfaaion,or derogation from its fufficiency and perfeaion, to fay that Belie. vers bear fome penalty themfelves. Becaufe Chrifts fatisfa6tion is to be denominated fufficient and perfed,in reference to its ends,, and intended effeas : And it was never his end in fatisfying to take hispeople from under a penal Law in this life , nor tocure the wound which the firm fin made, perfealy, till the Refurreai- on, nor to free men from all fin, or all fufferings of Caftigatory punifbments in this life. See Panew words before cited, to this, -, effed : And the Confeffionof the Marrow of Modern Divines, about temporal penalties. (The fame reafon clearly proveth that it is-no- duagation fromChrifts fa tisfaElan or merits.,- that we' af=. att.-

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