Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/300

 288 Christ unto it. Act. 4. 27, 28. and in his love and compassion bestowed Christ upon us. Ioh. 3. 16. by his divine acceptation he rested well pleased in it. Matth. 17. 5. and by his wonderfull wisdome fitted it to the manifestation of his glory and mercy, to the reconciliation of him and his creature, and to the exaltation of his Sonne. The Sonne is willing, he chearefully submitted unto it. Heb. 10. 9. and freely loved us, and gave himself unto us. Gal. 2. 20. The sinner is willing, and accepteth and relieth upon it. The summe of all is this, By the most wise, just, and mercifull will of God, by his owne most obedient and voluntary susception, Christ Jesus, being one with us in a manifold and most secret union, and having full power to lay downe, and to take up his life again, by speciall command and allowance of his Father given him, did most justly, without injury to himself, or dishonour to or injustice in his Father, suffer the punishment of their sins, with whom he had so neere an union, and who could not themselves have suffered them with obedience in their own persons, or with so much glory to Gods justice, mercy and wisdome. And though the will of God being ever just, is to us a sufficient cause of what God willeth, and the reason thereof be to us unsearchable: yet in this matter we can assigne just and weighty reasons of this will of God out of the Scriptures. God will not execute the severity of his Law, because he is mercifull, slow to anger, and ready to forgive. His free and everlasting love, and infinite delight which he hath in mercy, disposeth him aboundantly to pardon, and exercise loving kindnesse in the earth. Exod. 34. 7. Micha 7. 18. Ionah 4. 2. 2 Chron. 30. 9. Psal. 86. 5. Psal. 103. 8. Isai. 55. 7. Ier. 9. 24. and 31. 20. Luke 6. 36. Rom. 2. 4. And if the Lord should utterly destroy all men, there should be no Religion upon earth, as man should everlastingly loose the fruition of God, so he should likewise loose the voluntary service and subjection of his creature; Iohn 15. 8. Ezek. 33. 11. For these reasons God purposed not utterly to cast man off, and poure upon him deserved vengeance: but withall he purposed not to let sinne goe unrevenged, and that for these reasons.

First, because of his great hatred thereunto. He is of purer eyes then to behold evill, he cannot looke on iniquity, Hab. 1. 13. it provoketh abhorrency in him, Psal. 5. 6. Zach. 8. 17. Rev. 3. 16.