Speculum theologiæ in Christo, or, A view of some divine truths which are either…

It is observable in Scripture, that penal Sufferings stay not merely at the offenders door, but run over upon those in conjunction with him. Achan sinned in the accursed thing, and his Sons and Daughters were stoned, and buried with fire. David sinned in numbering the people, and no less than seventy thousand subjects fell by a Pestilence. But the Holy Jesus is an instance above all others: their Sufferings fell indeed upon Relations, yet still upon sinners; here they fell upon the Holy One. Justice is illustrious, when sinners suffer in conjunction with sinners; but how highly doth it act, when Innocency it self suffers in conjunction with them; I mean, as a Sponsor on their behalf? But here the Socinians cry out,¹ That if God should punish the innocent for the guilty, Christ for us Sinners, he would be unjust, a cruel Tyrant, one like Hannibal, who looked upon a ditch full of Humane blood, as a fair spectacle. Unto which I answer, the Scripture is very pregnant; our sins were laid upon him, they were condemned in his flesh, he bore them in his body: he was wounded and bruised for them, and that even unto death, and that not a mere simple death, but one that had a penal curse in it. And if these phrases express not punishment, no words can do it. Yet for all this, corrupt Reason is so desperate, that rather than subscribe to the Sacred Oracles, it will blaspheme and call God Tyrant. Indeed ⟨p. 58⟩an innocent cannot be punished for the guilty compulsorily, but Christ suffered by consent: Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, Heb. 10.7. The Law of Redemption was in his heart, he gave himself for us, an offering, and a sacrifice, Eph. 5.2. And what is freer than Gift? or what colour of Injustice can there be in such a Suffering? The Reason and Justice of all Nations agree in this, that one may by his own consent be punished for another. It's true, he cannot justly consent to suffer in that which he hath not a just power over. Men have not such a power over their lives, as they have over their estates. The only blemish in the [Greek or Hebrew] of old, who engaged life for life, was this, That they had not a just power over their lives to give them as a Compensation for others; but Christ might justly consent, he had power over his own life: I have power, saith he, [Greek or Hebrew], authority to lay down my life, and authority to take it up again,