"To suppose that a man's happiness or misery to all eternity should absolutely and unchangeably be fixed by the uncertain behaviour of a few years in this life, is a supposition even more unreasonable and unnatural, than that a man's mind and manners should be completely formed in his cradle, and his whole future fortune and condition should depend upon his infancy; infancy being much greater in proportion to the few years of this life, than the whole of this life to eternity."*-The same might be said, if the time of man's probation were ever so long, but limited. Thus; To suppose that a man's happiness or misery to all eternity should be unchangeably fixed by the uncertain behaviour of millions of millions of ages, is a supposition even more unreasonable, than that a man's mind and manners should be completely formed in his cradle, and his whole future fortune and condition should depend upon his infancy; infancy being much greater in proportion to the few years of this life, than millions of millions of ages to eternity.

"Nor could even his" [God's] "justice for short-lived transgressions inflict everlasting punishment."t-But how long-lived must the transgressions be, that justice may consent to inflict for them everlasting punishments? Let them be ever so long-lived, provided they are limited, they are still infinitely short-lived in comparison with an everlasting duration. And will it be said that the transgression must be as long-lived as the punishment, and that justice will not admit that the punishment of any transgression be of longer continuance, than the transgression was in the preparation?

"What glory to God, to see a number of his creatures plunged in the depth of misery? What good-will towards men, to consign so many of them to everlasting punish

* Page 361. † Page 368.

ments?""* It is doubtless glory to God, that they be plunged into the depth of misery, if both they deserve it, and it be subservient to the good of the universe: and the gospel is a revelation of divine good-will towards men, though many of them reject the infinite grace and eternal salvation exhibited in that revelation, and by this and their other sins justly deserve and finally bring on themselves everlasting punishment.

II. A few remarks on James Relly's Treatise on Union.

I

He seems to hold, that all mankind were from eternity só united to Christ, that he and they make properly one whole or complex person. But it is extremely difficult to determine with precision what his ideas were. shall therefore make several quotations from him, and subjoin such remarks as appear pertinent. "It doth not appear how God-could punish sin upon Christ, without the concurrence of righteousness and truth: nor can this concurrence be proved, without union between Christ and those, for whom he endured the cross-because contrary to truth, which declareth, that every man shall die for his own sin."-"Such an union between Christ and his church, as gives him the right of redemption, and brings him under that character, which is obnoxious to punishment, is absolutely necessary."-" Without the consideration of union, where is the justice of charging the black rebellion and crying guilt of man, upon the pure and spotless head of Jesus."§ "Sin is a crime— only atoned for-by the death, yea, the eternal death of the sinner which justice must inflict before it can be properly satisfied; nor can it possibly admit of a surety here; because it can only punish him, whom it first finds Page 4.

* Page 382. † Page 3. Ibid.

guilty; and not by reckoning him, to be what he is not, according to human quibbles, but according to artless, reasonable, divine equity; which can only declare such guilty, on whom the fault is found, and can only find the fault on such who have committed it. We only committed the fault; upon us only can it be found. Therefore, without such an union between Christ and us, as exposes us in his person, to judgment and condemnation, the harmony of the divine perfections doth not appear in the things which he suffered, because contrary to truth and justice."* He largely illustrates this union. between Christ and his church, by the union between the head and members in the natural body, and adds, "The union and harmony of the body renders it equitable to punish and chastise the whole body in one member, for its offence in another. Because if one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. As the union of the body makes it equitable to punish the head, for the offence of the other members; with like equity do the members participate with the head, in all its honours and glory. Thus the crowning of the head, crowns the whole man, and every member partakes of the honour."

These quotations may serve to give an idea of the union between Christ and mankind, for which Mr. Relly pleads. I now proceed to the following remarks.

1. It appears by the foregoing quotations, that Relly held such an union between Christ and his church, that he upon the ground of justice became liable to punishment on account of their sins. Otherwise the sufferings contrary to truth: unjust,

of Christ were both unjust and as he did not deserve them, contrary to truth as the divine declaration is "The soul that sinneth shall die." -But if this be true, if Christ was liable to punishment

* Page 4.

on the ground of justice, distributive justice; then Christ deserved death as much as the sinner. In his sufferings the Father did but treat him according to his own character and conduct: he did but cause him to eat the fruit of his own ways and to be filled with his own devices and no more thanks or praise are due to Christ on account of his sufferings, than are due to the damned sinner, on account of his enduring the pains of hell.Beside; how contrary is this to the scripture! That declares, that "Christ suffered the just for the unjust;" that he was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners;" That "he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."-Now if Christ was a " character obnoxious to punishment" on the foot of distributive justice, he was very far from being just, and from being holy, harmless, undefiled; he did sin, and guile was found in his mouth. Indeed this is no more than Relly asserts in the above quotations, when he says, "that justice can only punish him whom it finds guilty; not by reckoning him what he is not, but according to artless divine equity, which can only find the fault on such as have committed it." Therefore, according to this, Christ as one with sinners, committed the fault, and therefore deservedly suffered for it.

If it should be granted, that Christ did not himself commit the fault or sin, for which he suffered, but that by a wise, sovereign, divine constitution, to which he himself fully consented, he suffered for the sins of others; this would be to give up all, and to acknowledge, that Christ did not suffer for sin on the footing of distributive justice.

2. It appears by the same quotations, that Relly was not of the opinion, that Christ suffered in consequence of the imputation of sin to him, or because he was the surety of his church: but on the ground of his proper

❝ Sin

union with men. This appears by these words: is a crime only atoned for by death, which justice must inflict; nor can it possibly admit of a surety here: because it can only punish him whom it first finds guilty: and not by reckoning him to be what he is not." Yet he holds that Christ suffered on the sole ground of imputation. His words are, "The doctrine of union, which represents Jesus suffering under the character of the sinner, doth not suppose him such in his own particular person; nay strongly witnesseth the contrary, and respects him only thus by such an imputation as is just and true." If then the sufferings of Christ do not suppose him to be a sinner "in his own particular person;" how can this be reconciled with what is quoted above from page 3d, in which he argues, that unless Christ be one with those for whom he died, his sufferings cannot be reconciled with the scripture, which declares that every man shall die for his own sin? Or with what is quoted from page 4th, which declares, that justice does not admit of a surety, or of reckoning Christ to be what he is not?

3. It further appears by the same quotations, that Relly considers Christ and mankind, as one, in the same sense that the head and members in the natural body are one. If this be so, then we are no more indebted to Christ for our redemption, than a man's hands are indebted to his head for inventing means for his livelihood; or his head is indebted to his hands for applying those

means.

4. It also appears, that on this plan Christ is now suffering, and will without end suffer, an eternal death. Observe the quotation from page 4th, "Sin is a crime only atoned for by the death, yea the eternal death of

* Page 41.