Parent, Friend, or Benefactor, than if he were a Perfon that has no Connection with us. Now, what is it that makes all this appear fo evident, but the natural Notion all Men have, that the Grievoufnefs of an Offence falls or rifes according to the Dignity or Character of the Party offended, fo that the greater his Dignity or Character is, the greater alfo in Proportion is an Offence committed against him: The Confequence whereof is, that fince the Majefty of God is both infinite in itself, and infinitely ex-alted above his Creatures, the Enormity of an Offence committed against him is alfo in-finite. Nay, we may fay, that as God is infinite, not only in his Nature and Effence, but in all his Attributes and Perfections, so there is a kind of Infinity of Malice implied, not only in Sin itself, that is, precifely as it is a Violation of God's Law, which is itsproper Definition, but in all its Circumftances and Proprieties. So that as the Majefty, the Goodness, Justice, Power, and Wifdom of God are infinite, fo the Disobe dience, Ingratitude, Injustice, Infolence and Folly, which attend the Violation of his holy Law, are all Crimes, that carry with them an infinite Deformity, because each. is directly oppofite to fome Attribute that is infinitely perfect. Hence Hence all Sinners are guilty of an infinite Ingratitude, becaufe they offend a God, who is infinitely Good and Bountiful. They commit an infinite Injustice and Extravagance in tranfgreffing the Law of a God, who is infinitely Just and Wife. Their Prefumption is alfo infinite, in rebelling against an infinite Power and Majesty. In a Word, there appears fomething fo exceffively monftrous in every Circumftance of mortal Sin, as neither Thoughts can diftinctly reprefent, nor Words exprefs. The Rebellion of a poor Creature against the King of Heaven and Earth, his Infolence, in daring to difobey God's holy Law, his barefaced Contempt of him, in renouncing his Friendship for fome Intereft or Pleafure; finally, his Infenfibility of fo many Benefits already received, and Bleffings ftill in Store for him, are every one, in their kind, of fo black a Nature, that, tho' upon Reflection, we have a kind of confufed Idea of fomething that is very foul and monftrous, yet we are confcious to ourfelves, that not only our Ideas come infinitely fhort of the Thing itself, but that we even want Words to exprefs our imperfect Ideas of it. But to proceed now to a fecond Proof made ufe of by Divines to demonftrate this Truth It is certain that God, who is infinitely : infinitely Just and Merciful, and more inclined, as I may say, to Acts of Mercy than Justice, cannot demand a Satisfaction furpaffing the Grievousness of an Offence committed against him. Mercy and Goodness may indeed cancel a whole Debt gratis, or remit a Part of it; but Justice can never exact more than the full Payment of it: And therefore, whatever Satisfaction God can demand, is, at the highest, but equal to the Injury he has received. Judge then of the Nature of Sin; judge of it's Malice and Enormity; judge of the Injury and Difhonour it does to God, from the Reparation or Satisfaction he has demanded, and has effectually been made for it; I mean, the Humiliations and Sufferings of Jefus Chrift: For, as this is an Inftance of the moft rigid Justice that ever was practised fince the Creation of the World, and furpaffes infinitely all the Severities, by which God has ever manifefted his Hatred to Sin, fo it fuffices alone to demonftrate its Foulnefs and Enormity. However, that it may be rightly under.. ftood, you muft not imagine, as if I laid any Stress upon, or drew any Argument from the Greatness of our Saviour's Humiliations and Sufferings, confider'd barely in themselves. They were doubtless very great, even from the Moment of his Con ception, ception, to the last Gafp on the Crofs. But how great foever they were, nay, tho' they had been far greater in themselves, and all offer'd up to fatisfy the Divine Juftice, yet if they had been undergon by any Perfon of a Rank inferiour to that of Jefus Chrift, they would have been ineffectual, nay, infinitely difproportion'd to the Satisfaction which God required. Nay, tho' the highest Seraphin in Heaven had offer'd himself to become Man, and fuffer'd all the Torments God's Wrath could inflict upon him, yet all this had been infufficient; the whole Debt had remain'd uncancel'd, and the Handwriting, that appear'd against us, would have stood in its full Force. The Reason is, because God demanded nothing less than an Equality of Juftice, or condign Satisfaction, as Divines call it;: that is, an Atonement answerable to the Injury that had been done to his infinite Majefty, or to fpeak more plainly, a Re-paration of Honour equal to the Affront he had received by the Difobedience of our firft Parents. Now 'tis evident, that no pure Creature, tho' ever fo excellent, was capable of making any fuch Reparation. For if any pure Creature had been capable of it, then God had been unjust in exacting infinitely more than was due to him; that is, in ex acting that this Reparation fhould be made by no other than the Perfon of his only Son, whofe Dignity being infinite, gave an infinite Value to every thing he did or fuffer'd. And 'tis precifely from this, I mean the infinite Dignity of Chrift's facred Perfon, that we must make an Eftimate of the Price that was paid down, and by Confequence of the Debt that was cancel❜d by it. Every Action of Jefus Chrift was of an infinite Value. His defcending to become Man, his perfect Obedience in all Things to the Will of his Father, and of fering himself to him as a Sacrifice of Expiation, were all infinite Humiliations, by which he paid to God an infinite Honour; and fince the Divine Juftice demanded all this of him for Reparation of the Affront he had received, it follows, that the Debt, which was owing, could not be fully dif charged,nor the Handwriting that was against us fully cancel'd upon any other Terms; and that by Confequence, as God was infinitely bonour'd by the Obedience and Humiliations of his Son, who was equal to him in all Things, fo he had been infinitely dishonour'd by the Pride and Difobedience of our firft Parents. Thus we see the Malice and Enormity of mortal Sin; it is the greatest Evil that can befall the Soul, and it is infinitely injurious |