The divine will considered in its eternal decrees, and holy execution of them. By…

Redemption may be thus described; It is the procuring of Freedom for a Captive by a Price paid by him who is to redeem, and accepted by him who is the Supreme Detainer in that behalf, that the Captive may be delivered out of a state of Captivity into a state of Liberty according to the Wills of the Payer and Receiver of that price. I say, it is the procuring Freedom: Actual Freedom is the Crowning Issue of Redemption; but the procuring of Freedom is an essential ingredient in it. Hence Christ is said to obtain eternal Redemption for us, Heb. 9. 12. 'Tis the procuring of Freedom for a Captive, Free-men are not capable of it, but Captives only; and such are all men become by sin. They owed ten thousand Talents to God as the great Creditor, and Traitor-like they rebelled against God as the great Law-giver; and for those Debts and Rebellions God as a righteous Judge [Greek or Hebrew], shut them up in the prison of wrath, Rom. 11. 32. 'Tis the procuring of Freedom for a Captive by a Price, not by mere Power, but by a Price: when it is ⟨p. 170⟩procured by mere Power, 'tis but a naked Deliverance; but when it is procured by a Price, then 'tis a true proper Redemption. Hence in the Evangelical Charter we find [Greek or Hebrew], a Price, and that which issues from it is [Greek or Hebrew], true proper Redemption. Again, 'tis the procuring of Freedom for a Captive by a Price paid by him who is to redeem, and accepted by him who is the supreme Detainer in that behalf; for if it be not paid, 'tis no Price; if it be not paid by him who is to redeem, he cannot be a Redeemer; the Detainer must accept of it in that behalf, or else no Freedom can be justly procured; and the supreme Detainer must accept of it, for not the Jailer or Fetters, which are but Under-detainers, but the Creditor & Lawgiver, who is the supreme Detainer, must receive satisfaction, or else the Captive cannot be justly released. And all these are couched together by the Apostle; Christ gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour, Eph. 5. 2. Christ, there's he who was to redeem; gave himself an Offering and a Sacrifice, there's the Price paid down by him; to God, there's the supreme Detainer: the Jailer Satan, and the Fetters ⟨p. 171⟩