Neh. 9. 17. Thou art a God ready to pardon, &c. Isa. 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way, &c. Let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, &c. Jer. 31. 34. I will forgive their iniquity. Mic. 7. 18. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, &c. These and the like places prove God to be gracious and merciful, ready to forgive, and that he hath engaged himself to do it: And who is there that denieth all this? But where is the inconsistence between this and Christs satisfaction? Yea, where would have been the exercise of any grace and mercy towards us, if it had not been for Christs satisfaction? He hath promised to pardon sin in the new Covenant, but was not that Covenant ratified with the blood of Christ? and doth not the Apostle tell us plainly, Heb. 9. 22. That without shedding of blood there is no remission? So that our opinion, or rather belief is not strange, but his consequence is so; and his denial of satisfaction ⟨p. 61⟩doth destroy the design of the Covenant of grace (which cannot be of force without it) and not our asserting of it; And though God be exalted upon the Throne of his mercy to forgive sinners, that by faith are interested in the merits and satisfaction of his Son; yet W. P. and all Quakers and Socinians which deny Christs satisfaction, and thereby ipso facto, exclude themselves from all share in it, will find at the length, that God is exalted upon the Throne of his judgment, to take vengeance upon them all, that will not be beholding to his Son to appease his wrath. Math. 6. 12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. From whence W. P. argueth, that which is forgiven is not payed. I answer, that which is forgiven is not payed by us, but it is payed by Christ, and it is free to us, though it cost Christ dear. He further argueth, that we are to forgive without satisfaction, and therefore God doth; I answer, that God doth forgive without satisfaction from us; and as those that do injure us, we ought to forgive them freely without satisfaction, because vengeance doth not belong to us, but unto the Lord, who in our room, as it were, will have satisfaction one way or other from them, and hath threatened to recompense every injury upon their heads; so the Lord doth freely forgive us, and yet so, as that still he doth preserve the honour of his justice in taking satisfaction from Christ.
Neh. 9. 17. Thou art a God ready to pardon, &c. Isa. 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way, &c. Let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, &c. Jer. 31. 34. I will forgive their iniquity. Mic. 7. 18. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, &c. These and the like places prove God to be gracious and merciful, ready to forgive, and that he hath engaged himself to do it: And who is there that denyeth all this? But where is the inconsistence between this and Christs satisfaction? Yea, where would have been the exercise of any grace and mercy towards us, if it had not been for Christs satisfaction? He hath promised to pardon sin in the new Covenant, but was not that Covenant ratifyed with the blood of Christ? and doth not the Apostle tell us plainly, Heb. 9. 22. That without shedding of blood there is no remission? So that our opinion, or rather belief is not strange, but his consequence is so; and his denyal of satisfaction ⟨p. 61⟩doth destroy the design of the Covenant of grace (which cannot be of force without it) and not our asserting of it; And though God be exalted upon the Throne of his mercy to forgive sinners, that by faith are interested in the merits and satisfaction of his Son; yet W. P. and all Quakers and Socinians which deny Christs satisfaction, and thereby ipso facto, exclude themselves from all share in it, will finde at the length, that God is exalted upon the Throne of his judgment, to take vengeance upon them all, that will not be beholding to his Son to appease his wrath. Math. 6. 12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. From whence W. P. argueth, that which is forgiven is not payed. I answer, that which is forgiven is not payed by us, but it is payed by Christ, and it is free to us, though it cost Christ dear. He further argueth, that we are to forgive without satisfaction, and therefore God doth; I answer, that God doth forgive without satisfaction from us; and as those that do injure us, we ought to forgive them freely without satisfaction, because vengeance doth not belong to us, but unto the Lord, who in our room, as it were, will have satisfaction one way or other from them, and hath threatned to recompence every injury upon their heads; so the Lord doth freely forgive us, and yet so, as that still he doth preserve the honour of his justice in taking satisfaction from Christ.
