are trespassed. If God of his absolute power cannot pardon sin without satisfaction, then not to punish sin is simply a thing impossible, or God in so doing should be deficient or inconformable to the rule of his will: but to let goe sin unpunished is simply the omission of a divine act (the decree of God excepted) not deficient or inconformable to any rule of Gods will, but rather a peculiar exercise of divine mercy. What absolutely God can will, that he can justly will: otherwise it might be that God can will a thing which is injust, or that he can will injustly. But it was possible for God to will to let sin goe unpunished, it is not absolutely repugnant to his divine nature so to will. If God cannot pardon sin without satisfaction,Hae rationes tum demum locum obtinerent, si ita Deus putaretur agere ex necessitate naturae, ut solo naturae impetu, citra omnem intellectum, & voluntatis actum, ageret, veluti ignis calefacit ex necessitate naturae. Windel. de mundo. Sect. 2. c. 2. Lex agendi necessitas 1. naturae 2. congruentiae. Illa per quam agens ita agit, ut per naturam non possit non agere, est que vel sine cognitione, vel cum cognitione. Istá per quam agens non potest non congruenter suae naturae agere. then it is necessary that he punish sin by absolute necessity, or sin presupposed, it is of absolute necessity that it be punished; but it is not of absolute necessity that sin be punished, for then God should punish it alwaies in one manner, and as much as he can, as naturall agents worke: whereas we see by experience, that God doth differently punish the sins of men in this life, the lesser offendors most, the greater least many times, ever so as their punishments might be increased. Neither can it be said, that the greatnesse of punishment in this life, doth lessen their punishment in the life to come; for the punishments of the life to come being eternall, can carry no proportion with the punishments of this life. Then it was of absolute necessity that Christ should suffer so many stripes and no more, be forsaken just so long and no longer, continue in his agony so many houres and neither more nor lesse. The bounty of God to reward obedience is essentiallSciendum est, non sequi injustum ex quavis negatione justi, etiam positis iisdem circumstantiis. Non est perpetuum ut id quod justè fiat, non nisi injustè omittatur. as well as justice to punish iniquity: and if God punish iniquity by absolute and naturall necessity, of necessity he must reward obedience: if he punish iniquity without divine constitution, he must reward obedience in the same manner. God may inflict a more mild punishment then sin deserveth, therefore at least he may leave some degree of sin unpunished: as also, it is lawfull for God to men equall in sin, to grant pardon to one, to punish another according to his deserts. To give reward above merit is not contrary to justice, ifit
