The harmony of the divine attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of man's redemption…

1. There are some Doctrines in the Gospel, the Understanding could not discover, but when they are revealed, it hath a clear apprehension of them upon a rational account, and sees the characters of Truth visibly stamped on their Forehead. As the Doctrine of Satisfaction to Divine Justice, that Pardon might be dispensed to repenting Sinners. For our natural conception of God includes his infinite Purity and Justice; And when the design of the Gospel is made known, whereby he hath provided abundantly for the honour of those Attributes, so ⟨p. 133⟩that He doth the greatest Good without encouraging the least Evil, Reason acquiesces and acknowledges, this I sought, but could not find. Now although the primary Obligation to believe such Doctrines ariseth from Revelation, yet being ratified by Reason, they are embraced with more Clearness by the Mind.

1. There are some Doctrines in the Gospel, the Understanding could not discover, but when they are reveal'd, it hath a clear apprehension of them upon a rational account, and sees the characters of Truth visibly stampt on their Forehead. As the Doctrine of Satisfaction to Divine Justice, that Pardon might be dispens'd to repenting Sinners. For our natural conception of God includes his infinite Purity and Justice; And when the design of the Gospel is made known, whereby he hath provided abundantly for the honour of those Attributes, so ⟨p. 133⟩that He doth the greatest Good without encouraging the least Evil, Reason acquiesces and acknowledges, this I sought, but could not find. Now although the primary Obligation to believe such Doctrines ariseth from Revelation, yet being ratified by Reason, they are embraced with more Clearness by the Mind.

2. There are some Doctrines, which as Reason by its light could not discover, so when they are made known, it cannot comprehend; but they are by a clear and necessary connection joined with the other that Reason approves. As the Mystery of the Trinity, and the Incarnation of the Son of God, which are the Foundations of the whole work of our Redemption. The Nature of God is repugnant to Plurality, there can be but one Essence, and the nature of Satisfaction requires a distinction of Persons: for he that suffers as guilty, must be distinguished from the person of the Judg that exacts Satisfaction; and no mere Creature is able by his obedient sufferings to repair the Honour of God, so that a Divine Person assuming the Nature of Man was alone capable to make that satisfaction, which the Gospel propounds and Reason consents to. Besides, 'tis clear that the Doctrine of the Trinity, that is, of three glorious Relations in the Godhead, and of the Incarnation, are most firmly connected with all the parts of the Christian Religion, left in the Writings of the Apostles, which as they were confirmed by Miracles, the Divine Signatures of their certainty, so they contain such authentic marks of their Divinity, that right Reason cannot reject them.