The life of faith in three parts, the first is a sermon on Heb.…

Some also there be who gather from Christs death, that God desired the sufferings of Christ as pleasing to him in it self; as if he made a bargain with Christ to sell so much mercy to man, for so much blood and pains of Christ; and as if he so delighted in the blood of the innocent, that he would the willinglyer do good to us, if he might first forsake and crucify Christ. But this is to contradict Christs business in the world, as if he who came from Heaven to declare Gods Love, had come to declare him to delight in doing hurt; and as if he who came ⟨p. 190⟩to demonstrate Gods Justice, had come to show, that he had rather punish the innocent, than the guilty: But the case is quite otherwise: God doth not delight in mans sufferings as such; no not of the guilty, much less of the innocent: He desired not Christs suffering for it self: But as it was a convenient means, to demonstrate his Justice, and his Holiness, and to vindicate the honour of his Government and Law, and to be a warning to sinners, not to sin presumptuously; and yet to declare to them the greatness of his Love.

Some also there be who gather from Christs death, that God desired the sufferings of Christ as pleasing to him in it self; as if he made a bargain with Christ to sell so much mercy to man, for so much blood and pains of Christ; and as if he so delighted in the blood of the innocent, that he would the willinglyer do good to us, if he might first forsake and crucifie Christ. But this is to contradict Christs business in the world, as if he who came from Heaven to declare Gods Love, had come to declare him to delight in doing hurt; and as if he who came ⟨p. 190⟩to demonstrate Gods Justice, had come to shew, that he had rather punish the innocent, than the guilty: But the case is quite otherwise: God doth not delight in mans sufferings as such; no not of the guilty, much less of the innocent: He desired not Christs suffering for it self: But as it was a convenient means, to demonstrate his Justice, and his Holiness, and to vindicate the honour of his Government and Law, and to be a warning to sinners, not to sin presumptuously; and yet to declare to them the greatness of his Love.