Exercitations on the Epistle to the Hebrews

But it may be said, that these sins what ever they were, were expiated in the Babylonish Captivity, and pardoned unto them upon their return. So that now they must suffer, on the account of their sins committed under the second Temple; to which ⟨p. 200⟩he replies, that this exception is of no force. Nam liberatio e Babilone nihil aliud suit, quam exploratio, qua Deus experiri voluit, an cum restitutione Regni & Templi possint abbreviari, & expiari enormia ista, quae commiscerant, adulterii, homicidii, & Idolatriae peccata; sed pro antecedentium debitorum solutione, quam prestare debuerunt, nova insuper debita accumulaverunt. For the deliverance from Babylon was nothing but a trial, whereby God would make an experiment, whether with the restitution of their Kingdom and Temple, these enormous sins of Adultery, Murder and Idolatry which they had committed, might have been cut off and expiated, but instead of a discharge of their former arrears, which they were obliged unto, they heaped up new debts by their sins. Thus he. At their deliverance out of Babylon the people had no discharge of their former sins by the pardon of them; but were only tried how they would afresh acquit themselves, with a resolution in God, that if they made not satisfaction, then for those sins, to charge the guilt of them again upon themselves and all their posterity, for all the generations that are passed, until this day. But First, This is plainly a fiction of this mans own devising. Let him produce any one word, from the Scripture where it treats of these things, in the least giving countenance thereunto; or let him show, how this procedure is suitable unto the Justice of God, either unto the general notion that we have of it, or as unto any other instance recorded of it in the Scripture.

But it may be said, that these sins what ever they were, were expiated in the Babylonish Captivity, and pardoned unto them upon their return. So that now they must suffer, on the account of their sins committed under the second Temple; to which ⟨p. 200⟩he replyes, that this exception is of no force. Nam liberatio e Babilone nihil aliud suit, quam exploratio, qua Deus experiri voluit, an cum restitutione Regni & Templi possint abbreviari, & expiari enormia ista, quae commiscerant, adulterii, homicidii, & Idolatriae peccata; sed pro antecedentium debitorum solutione, quam prestare debuerunt, nova insuper debita accumulaverunt. For the deliverance from Babylon was nothing but a tryal, whereby God would make an experiment, whether with the restitution of their Kingdom and Temple, these enormous sins of Adultery, Murder and Idolatry which they had committed, might have been cut off and expiated, but instead of a discharge of their former arrears, which they were obliged unto, they heaped up new debts by their sins. Thus he. At their deliverance out of Babylon the people had no discharge of their former sins by the pardon of them; but were only tryed how they would afresh acquit themselves, with a resolution in God, that if they made not satisfaction, then for those sins, to charge the guilt of them again upon themselves and all their posterity, for all the generations that are passed, untill this day. But First, This is plainly a fiction of this mans own devising. Let him produce any one word, from the Scripture where it treats of these things, in the least giving countenance thereunto; or let him shew, how this procedure is suitable unto the Justice of God, either unto the general notion that we have of it, or as unto any other instance recorded of it in the Scripture.