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

Some Laws are not capable of relaxation in their own nature: because there is included moral iniquity in the relaxation. As the commands to love God, and obey Conscience, can never lose their binding force. 'Tis an universal rule that suffers no exception, God cannot deny himself; therefore he can never allow sin, that directly opposes the perfections of His Nature. Besides, some Laws cannot be relaxt ex hypothesi, upon the account of the Divine Decree which makes them irrevocable, as that all who die in their impenitency shall be damned. Now there was no express sign annexed to the Sanction of the original Law, to intimate, that it should be unalterable as to the letter of it. The threatening declared the desert of Sin in the Offender, and the right of punishing in the Superior; but 'tis so to be understood, as not to frustrate the power of the Law-giver, to relax the punishment upon wise and just reasons.

Some Laws are not capable of relaxation in their own nature: because there is included moral iniquity in the relaxation. As the commands to love God, and obey Conscience, can never lose their binding force. 'Tis an universal rule that suffers no exception, God cannot deny himself; therefore he can never allow sin, that directly opposes the perfections of His Nature. Besides, some Laws cannot be relaxt ex hypothesi, upon the account of the Divine Decree which makes them irrevocable, as that all who die in their impenitency shall be damned. Now there was no express sign annext to the Sanction of the original Law, to intimate, that it should be unalterable as to the letter of it. The threatning declared the desert of Sin in the Offender, and the right of punishing in the Superior; but 'tis so to be understood, as not to frustrate the power of the Law-giver, to relax the punishment upon wise and just reasons.

The Law did neither propound, nor exclude this ⟨p. 229⟩expedient: for judging without passion against the Sinner, it is satisfied with the punishment of the Crime. For 'tis not the evil of the sufferer that is primarily designed by the Law, but the preservation of public order, for the honour of the Lawgiver, and the benefit of those that are subjects. So that the relaxing the punishment, as to the person of the Sinner, by compensation, fully answers the intent of the Law.