A55308:78
Speculum theologiæ in Christo, or, A view of some divine truths which are either…
Speculum theologiæ in Christo, or, A view of some divine truths which are either practically exemplified in Jesus Christ, set forth in the Gospel, or may be reasonably deduced from thence / by Edward Polhill ..., Esq.
London: printed by A.M. and R.R. for Tho. Cockerill, 1678
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.
It is an enquiry among Divines, How far it was necessary, that sin should be punished; that without ⟨p. 45⟩Satisfaction there should be no Remission. It is an indubitable Verity, That it was necessary by virtue of Gods Decree: He hath declared himself, that he will by no means acquit the guilty. But this is not all. In Scripture, Punishment is not attributed merely to his Will or Decree, but to his just and righteous Nature; Thou art righteous, O Lord, because thou hast judged thus, Revel. 16.5. Though the mode and circumstance of Punishment be determined by his Sovereign pleasure, yet the punishment it self issues out from his Justice. Sin merits punishment; They that do such things are worthy of death, Rom. 1.32. It is not merely Gods Will, but his Justice, which renders unto sin its due. The proportion which is between Sin and Punishment, shows who holds the balance: Were it merely at the divine Pleasure to punish sin or not, God need not punish obstinate and impenitent persons. This the Socinians themselves cannot bear. They say, There is one Justice in God,1 which he ever useth in punishing contumacious sinners: nay, it would be unworthy of God not to punish them. Now, here two things may be observed: The one is this; Obstinacy is not punished for it self, for in good it is Constancy and worthy of praise; but it is punished because it is in evil. Sin is punished [Greek or Hebrew] for it self, but Obstinacy for the sin only; and if sin be punished for it self, then every sin must be punished. The other is this, If Jesus Christ had not come and satisfied for us, all sinners would have been impenitent and contumacious; the grace of Repentance would never have been given by an unatoned God; neither is it now derived to us, but through a Mediator. Him hath God exalted ⟨p. 46⟩with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance, Acts 5.31. Hence it appears, that without Christ, all sin would have been in conjunction with impenitency, and consequently necessarily punished. But a little more to clear this Necessity, I shall lay down some Particulars.