from it, by this ransom paying of Christ, as the punishment which we should have undergone, had not he undertaken for us, and redeemed us.

2. For the amoλútρwσis πapaßáoɛwv, Heb. ix. 15. it can be nothing but making reparation for the injury done by transgression; it is a singular phrase, but may receive some light from that of Heb. ii. 17. where Christ is said to be a high-priest, εἰς τὸ ἱλάσκεσθαι τας ἁμαρτίας τοῦ λαοῦ, to reconcile the sin of the people; that is, to make reconciliation for them, of the sense whereof afterward. 3. He redeems from the world; Gal. iv. 5.

3. The third thing is, That this deliverance from captivity be by the intervention of a price properly so called; that Christ did pay such a price I proved before, which is the foundation of this discourse.

The word λúrpov, and those arising from thence, were specially insisted on. The known use of the word is, 'redemptionis pretium ;' so among the best authors of the Greek tongue ξὼντα λαβόντες ἀφῆκαν ἄνευ λύτρων, Zenoph. Hallen. 7. they took him away without paying his ransom,' or the price of his redemption; and ἄπεμψε τὰ λύτρατῷ Αννίβα καὶ τοὺς αἰσχμαλώτους ἀπέλαβε: says Plutarch, in Fabius: he sent their ransom to Hannibal, and received the prisoners; and from thence λurpoú is of the same import and signification. So in the argument of the first book of the Iliads, speaking of Chrysis, that he came to the camp, Bovλóuevos λυτρώσαθαι τὴν θυγατερα, ' to pay a price for the redemption of his daughter.' And Arist. Ethic. lib. ix. cap. 2. disputing whether a benefit, or good turn, be not to be repaid, rather than a favour done to any other, gives an instance of a prisoner redeemed ; τῷ λυτρωθέντι παρὰ ληστῶν ποτερὸν τὸν λυσάμενον ἀντιλυτρωτέον, &c. whether he who is redeemed by the payment of a ransom from a robber be to redeem him who redeemed him, if captive, &c. but this is so far confessed, that if it may be evinced, that this price is paid to any, it will not be denied, but that it is a proper price of redemption, as before was discovered.

That the death of Christ is such a price, I proved abundantly, at the entrance of this discourse; it is so frequently and evidently expressed in the Scripture to be such, that it is not to be questioned; I shall not farther insist upon it.

All that our adversaries have to object, is, as was said, that seeing this price is not paid to any, it cannot be a price properly so called, for as for the nature of it, they confess, it may be a price: so Socinus acknowledgeth it. Saith he,

I understand the proper use of the word to redeem, to be, when a true price is given; true price I call not only money, but whatever is given to him, that delivers the captive, to satisfy him, although many things in the redemption be metaphorical.'

That God detains the captive, hath been proved; that the price is paid to him, though it be not silver and gold, and that, that he might be satisfied, shall be farther evinced. So that we have redemption properly so called; it remains then that we farther manifest, that the price was paid to God.

Although enough hath been said already to evince the truth of this, yet I shall farther put it out of question by the ensuing observations and inferences.

1. To the payment of a price or ransom properly so called, which as is acknowledged is not necessary that it should be money or the like, 1 Pet. i. 18. but any thing that may satisfy him that detains the captive, it is not required that it should be paid into the hand of him that is said to receive it; but only, that it be some such thing as he requires as the condition of releasing the captive. It may consist in personal service, which is impossible to be properly paid into the hand of any. For instance; if a father be held captive, and he that holds him so requires that for the delivery of his father, the son undertake a difficult and hazardous warfare, wherein he is concerned, and he do it accordingly; this son doth properly ransom his father, though no real price be paid into the hand of him that detained him. It is sufficient to prove that this ransom was paid by Christ unto God, if it be proved, that upon the prescription of God, he did that, and underwent that which he esteemed, and was to him a valuable compensation, for the delivery of sinners.

2. The propriety of paying a ransom to any, where it

e Propriam enim verbi redimendi significationem intelligo, cum verum pretium intervenit; verum autem pretium voco, non pecuniam tantum sed quicquid ut ei satisfiat qui captivum detinet datur, licet alioqui multa metaphorica in ejusmodi redemptione reperiantur. Socin. de Serv. lib. 1 part. 1. cap. 1.

lies in undergoing the penalty that was due to the ransomed, consists in the voluntary consent of him to whom the ransom is paid, and him that pays it, unto this commutation; which in this business we have firmly evinced. And the price paid by Christ could be no other. For God was not our detainer in captivity as a sovereign conqueror, that came upon us by force and kept us prisoners, but as a just judge and lawgiver, who had seized on us for our transgressions. So that not his power and will was to be treated withal, but his law and justice, and so the ransom was properly paid to him, in the undergoing that penalty which his justice required.

3. There must some differences be allowed between spiritual, eternal, and civil, corporeal, temporal deliverances, which yet doth not make spiritual redemption to be improper; nay, rather the other is said to be improper wherein it agrees not thereunto; the one is spiritual, the other temporal, so that in every circumstance it is not expected that they should agree.

4. There are two things distinctly in God to be considered in this business.

1. His love, his will, or purpose. 2. His justice, law, and truth. In respect of his love, his will, his purpose, or good-pleasure, God himself found out, appointed and provided this ransom. The giving of Christ is ascribed to his love, will, and good pleasure; John iii. 16. Rom. v. 8. viii. 32. 1 John iv. 9, 10. as he had promised by his prophets. of old; Luke i. 67. But his law and truth and justice in their several considerations, required the ransom, and in respect of them he accepted it, as hath been shewed at large; so that nothing in the world is more vain, than that of our adversaries; that God procured and appointed this price, therefore, he did not accept it; that is, either God's love or his justice must be denied. Either he hath no justice against sin, or no love for sinners; in the reconciliation of which two, the greatest and most intense hatred against sin, and the most inexpressible love to some sinners in the blood of his only son, lies the great mystery of the gospel which these men are unacquainted withal.

5. That God may be said to receive this price, it was

not necessary that any accession should be made to his riches by the ransom, but that he underwent no loss by our deliverance. This is the difference between a conqueror or a tyrant and a just ruler, in respect of their captives and prisoners. Says the tyrant or conqueror, Pay me so much whereby I may be enriched or I will not part with my prisoner: says the just ruler and judge, Take care that my justice be not injured; that my law be satisfied, and I will deliver the prisoners. It is enough to make good God's acceptance of the price, that his justice suffered not by the delivery of the prisoner; as it did not, Rom. iii. 25. yea, it was exalted and made glorious above all that it could have been, in the everlasting destruction of the sinner.

These things being thus premised, it will not be difficult to establish the truth asserted; namely, that this price or ransom was paid to God. For,

1. A price of redemption, a ransom must be paid to some or other; the nature of the thing requires it. That the death of Christ was a price or ransom, properly so called, hath been shewed before; the ridiculous objection, that then it must be paid to Satan or our sin, hath also been sufficiently removed, so that God alone remains to whom it is to be paid. For unless to some it is paid, it is not a price or

ransom.

2. The price of redemption is to be paid to him who detains the captive by way of jurisdiction, right, and law power. That God is he who thus detained the captive, was also proved before. He is the great householder that calls his servants that do, or should serve him, to an account; Matt. xviii. 23, 24. ovvapai λóyov and wicked men are Karáρaç TέKva, 2 Pet. ii. 14. the children of his curse, obnoxious to it. It is his judgment that they which commit sin are worthy of death; Rom. i. 32. and Christ is a propitiation to declare his righteousness; Rom. iii. 25. And it is his wrath from whence we are delivered by this ransom; Rom. ii. 5. 1 Thess. i. 10. the law was his to which Christ was made obnoxious; Gal. iv. 4. the curse his which he was made; chap. iii. 13. it was his will he came to do and suffer; Heb. x. 5. it was his will that he should drink off the cup of his passion; Matt. xxvi. it pleased him to bruise him; Isa. liii.

he made all our iniquities to meet upon him; ver. 6, so that doubtless this ransom was paid to him; we intend no more by it than what in those places is expressed.

3. This ransom was also a sacrifice, as hath been declared. Look then to whom the sacrifice was offered, to him the ransom was paid. These are but several notions of the same thing. Now the sacrifice he offered to God; Eph. v. 2. to him then also, and only, was this ransom paid.

4. Christ paid this ransom as he was a mediator and surety: now he was the Mediator between God and man, and therefore he must pay this price to one of them, either God or man and it is not difficult to determine whether: 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6. gives us this fully. He is the Mediator, and as such he gave himself avríλurpov, a price of redemption to God.

From this description of redemption properly so called, and the application of it to the redemption made by Jesus Christ, we thus argue:

He who by his own blood and death paid the price of our redemption to God, in that he underwent what was due to us, and procured our liberty and deliverance thereby, he made satisfaction properly for our sins; but when we were captives for sin to the justice of God, and committed thereon to the power of sin and Satan, Christ by his death and blood paid the price of our redemption to God, and procured our deliverance thereby: therefore he made satisfaction to God for our sins.

For the farther confirmation of what hath been delivered, some few of the most eminent testimonies given to this truth, are to be explained and vindicated, wherewith I shall close this discourse of our redemption by Christ. Out of the very many that may be insisted on, I shall choose out only those that follow.

1. Rom. iii. 24, 25. Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.' Redemption in itself, in its effect, in respect of us, with all its causes is here expressed. Its effect in respect of us, is, that we are justified