Bo:Jk IV. s N A D E B T. sss of Sins, Ephef i. 7· As God for Chrifl's fake bath fo•-given you, Chap. iv. 32. God bath Jet hi;a forth to be a Propitiation, through Faith in his Blood, to declare hzs Righte– o'!fzejs, for the Remijjion of Sins, Rom. iii. 25. It is abfolutely free, in refpe<'l: of all im– mediate Tranfa<'l:ions between God and S1nners, free on the Part of God. 1. In the eternal Purpofe of it, when he might juftly have fuffered all Men to have perifhed under the Guilt of their Sins. z. Free in the Means that he uled to effect it. ( 1.) In the fending of his own Son. (2.) In laying the Punifhment of ou r Sins upon him. (3.) In his Covenant with him, that it lhould be accepted on our behalf. (4.) In his free Tender and Propofal of it by the Gofpd, without Money, and without Price. (5.) In the aCtual Forgivenefs and Pardon of them. Secondly; It is free on the Part of the Perfons that are forgiven, in that, ( 1.) It is given and granted to them, without any Satisfaction made by them, or a Surety of their Procurement, they bemg not able to find any. (2.) Without any Mertt to pur– chale or procure it. (3.) Without any penal fatisfactory Suffering here or hereafter. (4 ) Without any Expc<'l:ation of a future Recompence, or being once pardoned, they 1hould make or give any Satisfaction for what they had done before. And as none of thole T hings would, fo nothiog elfe can impeach the Freedom of Pardon and For– g ivenefs. Whether then we refpect the Pardoner, or the Pardoned, Pardon is every way lree, namd y, on the Part of God who forgives, and on the Part of Sinners that are forgiven. If God hath now, befides ail this, provided himfelf a Lamb for a Sacrifice; if he h ath, in infinite W il(tom and Grace, found out a Way thus freely to forgive us our D cbrs, to the P raife aod Glory of his own Holinefs, Righteoufnefs, and Severity ao-ainft .)in, as well as to the magnifying of his Grace, Goodnefs, and rich Bot~nty, w'!1ich he immediately cxercifeth in the Pardon of Sin: Are any Man's Ey-es evil, be– cau(e he is good ? W ill they not be contented to be pardoned, unlefs they may have it at the Rate of fpoiling or robbing God of his Holinefs, Truth, Righteoufirefs, and Faithfulnels. Dr. Owe;z. Object. But doth not this Dollrine Jet f orth God to be fevere to his own Son, to fubjfi– tute him in the .limur's R oom, to bear his Wrath, and fujfer for their Sins? A nfw. God bid nothiog upon his blelfed Son, but what Cbrift offered himfelf freely to undergo for M an's fake ; and had it not every way conlifted with his own Glory, thus to deliver up the L ord J efus, to fatisfy both Law and Juftice, doubtlefs he would never have lent him into the Worlu. And if it had been only to make Chri!t a P attern of Humility, and of Patience under Su ffering, that God laid thcle Things upon him which he endured, it might have left fame Room for Men fo to fpeak, in that others might, as indeed many of the Godly have been made Examples upoo that Account. Ob;ell. If God cannot pardon Sin without Satisfatlion, he is more weak and imperfell than Man. A nfw. 1. God cannot do many Things that Man can do; not that he is more im– perfect than they, but he cannot do them upon rhe Account of his Perfection: He cannot lie, he cannot change, cannot deny himielf, wh1ch Men can, and do daily. 2. To pardon Sin without Satisfa<'l:ion, in him who is abfolutely holy, righteous, true and fa ithful, the abfolutc, ncctffary, ltr preme Governor of all Sinners, the Author of rhe Law, and Sanction of it, whnein Punifhrnent is threatened and declared, is to deny himfelf, and to do what one infinitely perfecr cannot do. 3· W hy doth not God pardon Sins freely, without requiring Faith, Repentance, and O bed ience in them that are pardoned! yea, as the Conditions on which they may be pardoned: For feeing he is fo infinitely good and gracious, cannot he pardon M en, without prercribing fu ch Terms and Conditions unto th~m, as he knows that M en, anJ that incomparably the g reatelt Number of them, will never come up unto, and fo muft of N ecdlitv perifh for ever? Yea, but our Adver!aries fay, this cannot be, neither doth this impe,tch the Freedom of Pardon: For it is certain, that God cloth prefcribe thefe Things, and yet he pardoneth freely; and it would altogether unbecome the holy God, to p1rdon Sinners that continue impenitent, and fo live and die. But cloth not the Sociilian fee, that he hath hereby given away· his Caufe which he contendeth for; for if a Prefcription of fundry Things to the Sinner himfelf with10 Q out
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