First, To make this appear, or further to manifest the Truth of it, it will not be amiss, to consider the Nature of God's Threatenings, I mean, Legal Threatenings, which several Divines have well distinguished from Evangelical. Gospel, or Evangelical Threatenings, are those Fatherly Chastisements, which God denounceth, to keep us within the Bounds of Child-like Obedience; and therefore, God hath not only signified, (but the Nature of the Affair requireth,) that they should be executed only in case of Need, 1 Pet. 1.6.
⟨p. 337⟩But Legal Threatenings, denounce unmixed and unallayed Curse and Wrath. These two widely differ, not only in their Nature, but End. In the first, suppose, that the Business of the Threatenings be done to God's Hand, without the Execution of them, it clearly follows, that the Obligation of the Believer to them, as they have respect to such an End, dissolves and ceaseth; that which is God's Intent by them, being obtained without them, the execution of the Threatenings, without the least derogation from the Truth of God, or Impeachment of his other Properties, may be suspended.
But Legal Threatenings being of another Nature, and having another End, namely, the Vindication of God's Holiness and Justice upon Prisoners and Rebels, they are no wise dissolvible, but must of necessity be inflicted, that the Perfections and Government of God may be vindicated, and Sin may be revenged. All Sin is a Contempt of God's Authority and Government, and casts Dirt upon his Glory, and Punishment is the vindicating of God's Honour, in revenge of Evil committed.
Let this be noted, that in case of such a proportionable Satisfaction, by which the Honour and Equity of his Law is vindicated, his Justice, Holiness, and Hatred of Sin demonstrated, the ends of Government attained; he may relax and dispense with the Threatening, as to the Party offending, which is the case here: for by executing the Threatenings upon Christ, and receiving a valuable consideration of Satisfaction from him, he hath given as eminent demonstration of his Righteousness, Purity, and Hatred of Sin, and as fully vindicated his Law from Contempt, as if the Offenders themselves had suffered; and therefore, by an admirable mixture of Grace with Justice, hath released us.
First, To make this appear, or further to manifest the Truth of it, it will not be amiss, to consider the Nature of God's Threatnings, I mean, Legal Threatnings, which several Divines have well distinguished from Evangelical. Gospel, or Evangelical Threatnings, are those Fatherly Chastisements, which God denounceth, to keep us within the Bounds of Child-like Obedience; and therefore, God hath not only signified, (but the Nature of the Affair requireth,) that they should be executed only in case of Need, 1 Pet. 1.6.
⟨p. 337⟩But Legal Threatnings, denounce unmixed and unallayed Curse and Wrath. These two widely differ, not only in their Nature, but End. In the first, suppose, that the Business of the Threatnings be done to God's Hand, without the Execution of them, it clearly follows, that the Obligation of the Believer to them, as they have respect to such an End, dissolves and ceaseth; that which is God's Intent by them, being obtained without them, the execution of the Threatnings, without the least derogation from the Truth of God, or Impeachment of his other Properties, may be suspended.
But Legal Threatnings being of another Nature, and having another End, namely, the Vindication of God's Holiness and Justice upon Prisoners and Rebels, they are no wise dissolvible, but must of necessity be inflicted, that the Perfections and Government of God may be vindicated, and Sin may be revenged. All Sin is a Contempt of God's Authority and Government, and casts Dirt upon his Glory, and Punishment is the vindicating of God's Honour, in revenge of Evil committed.
Let this be noted, that in case of such a proportionable Satisfaction, by which the Honour and Equity of his Law is vindicated, his Justice, Holiness, and Hatred of Sin demonstrated, the ends of Government attained; he may relax and dispense with the Threatning, as to the Party offending, which is the case here: for by executing the Threatnings upon Christ, and receiving a valuable consideration of Satisfaction from him, he hath given as eminent demonstration of his Righteousness, Purity, and Hatred of Sin, and as fully vindicated his Law from Contempt, as if the Offenders themselves had suffered; and therefore, by an admirable mixture of Grace with Justice, hath released us.
