A55299:75
An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…
An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ, and our union and communion with him by Edward Polhill ..., Esquire.
London: printed for Ben. Foster, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
After the terrible discovery of the Naturalness of God's Justice, 1the Doctor makes some amends for it; for now in Christ, the Nature of God is discovered to be love and kindness; a happy change this, from all Justice to all Love! But how comes this to pass? why, the account is very plain, because the Justice of God hath glutted it self with revenge on sin, in the Death of Christ: And a little after; God is Love and Patience, when he hath taken his fill of revenge, as others use to say, that the Devil is very good, when he is pleased.
- 1Mr. Sherlock.
What!1 doth God glut himself with Revenge? or is he, as the Devil good when he is pleased? I tremble at the Expressions, and verily believe, that the Dr. would have laid down his neck upon the Block before he would have uttered them. Revenge or Vengeance in God is nothing but pure immaculate ⟨p. 50⟩Justice: Glutting with Revenge is an Expression fit for malicious Men, or for Devils rather, but not at all for God: God out of Christ is a consuming Fire, but in Christ a gracious Father, reconciling the World unto himself. Not that there is a change in the unchangeable One; but, according to his wise and gracious Decree, his Justice was satisfied in Christ, and through that Satisfaction his Love and Kindness sweetly stream out to Men: He that dares deny this must forfeit his Christianity. But if the Dr. did not utter these horrid words, may any such thing be drawn from him by consequence? This the Author would hint; for saith he, The Dr. speaks very honourably of God; Whatever, saith the Dr. discoveries were made of the Patience and Lenity of God unto us, yet if it were not withal revealed, that the other Properties of God, as his Justice and Revenge for sin, had their actings assigned them to the full, there could be little Consolation gathered from the former; That is, saith the Author, he would not believe God himself, though he should make never so many Promises of Grace to sinners, unless he were sure, that he had first satisfied his revenge. To which I answer,