Yea further, if we retained to that opinion of many Learned Men, That Adam's enjoyment of God for ever, in that holy Estate of Innocency, should have been of God, but as manifested in and by Creatures, and his holy Law, and not as in Himself, or as in Heaven, &c. yet this would not serve for a Rule whereby to estimate, or make proportion, that therefore this Punishment should oppositely be only from God, by and through Creatures. For whatever his enjoyment should have been, whether of God mediately, or of God as in Himself immediately, I dispute not: yet to be sure when God was cast off by him, or is by us immediately and directly reflected upon, [even God as God] which is that, whereby every Man's Sin is heightened in Rom. 1. 21. the meaning whereof is, that God as in Himself is debased by Sin. So that as the Apostle says in the like case, Rom. 5. 15. [Not as the Offence, so is the free Gift.] On the contrary, upon the like ground, Not as was the case or merit of ⟨p. 84⟩Adam's Righteousness, so is the demerit of Sin; and so, nor of Punishment. Because there is so transcendent an undueness, yea, an injury done to the great God Himself by the Creature in Sinning, over and above the proportion of all created Grace or Obedience. For all Obedience was due, and all Man's Reward in obeying was from the mere goodness of God, which He, and his Obedience, and all depended upon: and so the proportion thereof is no way to be looked at, either as the measure of the evil of Sin, or of what is to be the Punishment thereof. Sin we are sure is so great an Evil, as no mere Creature, but Christ God-Man, and his Obedience or Suffering could have satisfied God for, in the behalf of another. And why may it not also be said, that as none but He, that was subjectivè God, could satisfy God for the demerit of Sin, committed against God objectivè? so that Sin is such an evil, as cannot in the Sinner himself be throughly punished unto the satisfaction of Justice, but by God Himself efficiently; that is, God, to be the inflicter thereof immediately.
Yea further, if we retained to that opinion of many Learned Men, That Adam's enjoyment of God for ever, in that holy Estate of Innocency, should have been of God, but as manifested in and by Creatures, and his holy Law, and not as in Himself, or as in Heaven, &c. yet this would not serve for a Rule whereby to estimate, or make proportion, that therefore this Punishment should oppositely be only from God, by and through Creatures. For whatever his enjoyment should have been, whether of God mediately, or of God as in Himself immediately, I dispute not: yet to be sure when God was cast off by him, or is by us immediately and directly reflected upon, [even God as God] which is that, whereby every Man's Sin is heightned in Rom. 1. 21. the meaning whereof is, that God as in Himself is debased by Sin. So that as the Apostle says in the like case, Rom. 5. 15. [Not as the Offence, so is the free Gift.] On the contrary, upon the like ground, Not as was the case or merit of ⟨p. 84⟩Adam's Righteousness, so is the demerit of Sin; and so, nor of Punishment. Because there is so transcendent an undueness, yea, an injury done to the great God Himself by the Creature in Sinning, over and above the proportion of all created Grace or Obedience. For all Obedience was due, and all Man's Reward in obeying was from the meer goodness of God, which He, and his Obedience, and all depended upon: and so the proportion thereof is no way to be lookt at, either as the measure of the evil of Sin, or of what is to be the Punishment thereof. Sin we are sure is so great an Evil, as no meer Creature, but Christ God-Man, and his Obedience or Suffering could have satisfied God for, in the behalf of another. And why may it not also be said, that as none but He, that was subjectivè God, could satisfy God for the demerit of Sin, committed against God objectivè? so that Sin is such an evil, as cannot in the Sinner himself be throughly punished unto the satisfaction of Justice, but by God Himself efficiently; that is, God, to be the inflicter thereof immediately.
