The Christian Warfare Part 1, Book 2 · Chapter 33
CHAP. XXXIII. Of the ſecond Argument grounded vponupon Gods iuſtice.
§. Sect. 1 THe ſecond argument to aſſure thoſe of the forgiueneſſe of their ſinnes,That Gods iuſtice will not puniſh thoſe ſinnes in vsus which are already puniſhed in Chriſt who vnfainedly repent and relye wholy vponupon Ieſus Chriſt for their ſaluation, by a liuely faith may bee drawne from Gods iuſtice, for their ſinnes are fully and ſufficiently puniſhed in Chriſt Ieſus, and therefore it wil not ſtand with the iuſtice of God, to puniſh them againe in any of thoſe who hauehave applyed vntounto them the merites and ſufferings of Chriſt by a liuely faith; and as the Lord cannot in iuſtice let ſinne goe vnpuniſhed, and therfore hath puniſhed the ſins of all men either in Chriſt Ieſus, or will throughly puniſh them in the parties themſelues, ſo the ſame iuſtice will not admit that the ſame ſinnes ſhould be twiſe puniſhed, once in our Sauiour; and againe in the faithfull. Now that our ſauiour Chriſt hath ſufficiently ſuffered for all the ſinnes of the faithfull; it is euident by many places of the Scriptures. Eſay 53.4. Surely hee hath borne our infirmities and carried our ſorrowes. 5. But hee was wounded for our tranſgreſſions, he was broken for our iniquities, the chaſtiſment of our peace was vponupon him, and with his ſtripes wee are healed. 2 Cor. 5.21. hee hath made him to bee ſinne for vsus which knewe no ſinne, that wee ſhould be made the righteouſnes of God in him. So the apoſtle He. 9.26. ſaith that our ſauiour Chriſt hath appeared once to put away ſinne by the ſacrifice of himſelfe. And Pet. 1. epiſtle 2.24. ſaith that his own ſelfe bare our ſinnes in his bodie on the tree, that wee being deliuered from ſinne ſhould liue in righteouſneſſe. Seeing then our ſinnes were laide vponupon Chriſt and ſeuerely puniſhed in him, God in his iuſtice will not inflict any more puniſhmens vppon the faithfull but will pardon and forgiue them, which pardon and forgiueneſſe is a worke of his iuſtice as well as of his merciemercy, and therefore it is ſaid, Rom. 3.25. that God hath ſet forth our Sauiour Chriſt to be a reconciliation through faith in his bloud, to declare his righteouſneſſe by the forgiueneſſe of ſinnes that are paſſed through the patience of God. 26. to ſhewe at this time his righteouſneſſe that hee might be iust, and a iuſtifier of him who is of the faith of Ieſus, So it is ſaid 1. Iohn 1.9. that If we acknowledge our ſinnes, hee is faithfull and iuſt to forgiue vsus our ſinnes and to cleanſe vsus from all vnrighteouſneſſe. So that Gods righteouſnes is declared in the forgiuenes of ſins, and hee ſheweth his iuſtice in iuſtifying thoſe who are of the faith of Ieſus, and in pardoning all their offences. And therefore if wee will beleeue in our Sauiour Chriſt and bring forth the fruites of our faith in vnfained repentance, wee need not ſeruilely to feare Gods iuſtice, nay wee may be aſſured that becauſe hee is iuſt, he will in Chriſt pardon and forgiue our ſinnes, and neuer inflict any puniſhment, which by them in our ſelues wee hauehave iuſtly deſerued.
§. Sect. 2 But that the equitie hereof may bee more manifeſt,That our ſins are debts and therefore not to be twice paid. we are to conſider that our ſinnes in the ſcriptures are called debtes; for the Lord in our creation lent vntounto vsus the rich talents of his graces, to be imployed for the ſetting forth of his glory, all which wee waſtfully miſpent and brought our ſelues into ſuch extreame beggerie, that we were altogether vnable to pay to God the leaſt part of that which we owed, nor to rē der accoumpt vntounto our Lord & maiſter how in any good fort we had beſtowed his rich treaſures; & therefore in his iuſtice he ſent his ſergeant death to areſt vsus, and to caſt vsus in the priſon of vtter darkenes, there to remaine in the cuſtody of ſathan our moſt malitious iaylor, till we had fully diſcharged our debt and made full ſatiſfaction to his iuſtice; which whē we were altogeather vnable to perfourme, it pleaſed our ſauiour Chriſt in his infinite louelove towards vsus, to become our ſuerty, and to take vppon him the anſwering of our debt, which he fully diſcharged in as exact a manner and meaſure as the iuſtice of God required, for whereas wee are bound to performe perfect obedience to the lawe, he performed it for vsus; where as wee for our diſobedience were ſubiect to the ſentence of condemnation, the curſe of the law, and death of body and ſoule, he was condemned for vsus, and bore the curſe of the lawe, and dyed in our ſtead an ignominious death, whereas we deſerued the anger of God, and to bee kept priſoners in the graue vnderunder the dominion of death, he endured his fathers wrathfull diſpleaſure, and himſelfe was for a time held captiue of death in the graue, that ſo he might reconcile vsus to his father and ſet vsus at libertie. In a word whatſoeuer we owed Chriſt diſcharged, whatſoeuer wee deſerued hee ſuffered, if not in the ſelfe ſame puniſhments, (for hee could not ſuffer the eternall torments of hell) yet in proportion, the dignity of his perſon giuing value vntounto his temporarie puniſhments, and making them of more valew and worth then if all the world ſhould hauehave ſuffered the eternal torments of hell. Seing therefore our Sauiour Chriſt hath fully diſcharged our debt and made full ſatisfaction to his fathers iuſtice, God cannot in equitie exact of vsus a ſecond payment, no more then the creditours may iuſtly require that his debt ſhould be twice payd, once of the ſuerty, and againe of the principal. Neither now hath Gods iuſtice any thing to ſhew againſt vsus, for the lawe which was the hand writing of ordinances which made againſt vsus, and as it were a bond whereby wee were obliged and bound to God the father either to performe obedience, or to vndergoe the penaltie; euen euerlaſting death and condemnation, is now cancelled taken away; and faſtened to the croſſe of Chriſt, as the Apoſtle affirmeth. Col. 2.14. So that now the Lord cannot in his iuſtice put vsus in ſuite nor recouer any debt of vsus, ſeeing our ſauiour Chriſt our good and all ſufficient ſuerty hath vndertaken the matter in our behalfe diſcharged our debt to the vtmoſt farthing, cancelled the handwriting or bond in which wee were obliged, and by the law acquitted vsus of all paimentes which Gods iuſtice by vertue of the law might require of vsus. and therefore if we turne vntounto God by vnfained repentance, and lay hould vponupon our ſauiour Chriſt and his merites by a liuely faith, we hauehave our quietus eſt and generall acquittance, which God himſelfe hath pronounced from heauen in the preſence of many witneſſes, ſaying, This is may welbeloued ſon in whom I am well pleaſed, that is in whome I am delighted, & reſtfully ſatiſfied, & wel cōtented. Mat. 3.17.