Directions and persuasions to a sound conversion for prevention of that deceit and damnation…Directions and perswasions to a sound conversion for prevention of that deceit and damnation…

1. One is, The Demonstration of Gods Justice, as he is Governor of the world, according to the Law of Nature. He made man rational and a voluntary Agent, capable of Good or Evil, with Desires and Hopes of the Good, and fears of the Evil; and so to be ruled according to his Nature. He made for him a Law that Revealed Good and Evil, with Promises to move him by Desire, and Hope, and with Threatenings to drive him by necessary ⟨p. 196⟩Fear. By these engines God resolved to govern mankind. This Law was the Rule of mans Duty, and of his Receivings, or of Gods Judgment: According to this Law, the world was to be Governed by God. His Governing Justice consisteth in giving all their Due, according to his Law: At least so far as that the End of the Law may be attained, that is, the honour of the Law-giver preserved, transgression made odious by the terror of penalty, and obedience made honourable by its fruits of impunity and reward: Otherwise the Law would not have deterred effectually from Evil, nor encouraged to Good, especially to so much as Creatures must go through for the Crown of Life: And so the Law would have been no fit Instrument for the Government of the world: that is, the Law would have been no Law. But this the Wise and Righteous God would not be guilty of, of making a Law that was no Law; and was unmeet for the ends, to which he made it; which was essential to it as a Law. There was no way to avoid this intolerable consequent, when man had sinned, but strict execution of the Law, or by sufficient Satisfaction ⟨p. 197⟩in stead of such an Execution. The Execution would have destroyed the Commonwealth, even the whole inferior world, at least, the reasonable Creature who was the Subject. The Wisdom, and Love, and Mercy of God would not give way to this, that the world should be destroyed so soon after it was made, and man left remediless in everlasting Misery: Satisfaction therefore must be the Remedy: This must be such as might be as fit to procure the Ends of the Law, as if the Law it self had been executed, that is; as if the offenders had all dyed the death that it did threaten. It must therefore be a public Demonstration of Justice, and of the odiousness of Sin, to the terror, and warning of sinners for the future: And this was done by Jesus Christ, when none else in Heaven, or Earth could do it:

1. One is, The Demonstration of Gods Justice, as he is Governor of the world, according to the Law of Nature. He made man rational and a voluntary Agent, capable of Good or Evil, with Desires and Hopes of the Good, and fears of the Evil; and so to be ruled according to his Nature. He made for him a Law that Revealed Good and Evil, with Promises to move him by Desire, and Hope, and with Threatnings to drive him by necessary