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yielded up the ghost when he chose to do it. Christ chose to die upon the cross; it was necessary that he should expire there, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. See the history of the case according to St. John; "The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was a high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: but one of the soldiers, with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true; and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled. A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another Scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced."

All matters therefore were conducted agreeably to the construction of things, in the covenant of redemption before the world was; which things were a mystery, kept secret in the counsel of the divine will, until after the apostasy, and especially till the coming of Jesus Christ. The life of Christ could have been prolonged, had it been viewed necessary in the counsel of heaven. Though Christ commended his Spirit into the hands of his Father, and gave up the ghost when he chose to give up the ghost, yet they who conspired against him, and nailed him to the cross, were, indeed murderers. They meant to kill him; murder was in their hearts. Christ had power to lay down his life, and he had power to take it again. This commandment, saith he, I have received of my Father; that is, it was agreed upon in the covenant of redemption. "Men can do nothing to frustrate the divine decrees, God will accomplish all his purposes, and in his own way.

"Why then do the heathen rage,

and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his Anointed, saying, Let us brake their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee." Though the enemies of Christ might think themselves able to kill him; and in this way to carry an important point against him; yet they will find, to their everlasting confusion, that he is the Almighty and can arise above all the evil which they may bring upon him, “and break them with a rod of iron; and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel!” Let Kings then, and Judges, and all the people fear the Lord, and rejoice with trembling. Let them kiss the Son lest he be angry, and they perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him."

3. Being redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, does not suppose that Christ was punished for the sins of men; or, that he bare our sins, in the same sense in which the wicked bear their own sins.

It is not proper to say that ever any one was punished, except for his own fault, or transgression of some law. It is not expressed in any part of the word of God, that Christ was punished for his own sins or for the sins of any other person.

It is granted that Christ suffered; and that his sufferings were exceedingly great. It is granted, that for us, for our redemption, for our salvation, he suffered; that he died for us; that he was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." Christ could not suffer and die for his own sin, for he had none. "Who did no sin, neither was guile found

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in his mouth: who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." We grant that when he suffered, it was on account of our sins; and that we might be redeemed from them. "Who his own self," says the apostle Peter, "bare our sins in his own body on the tree; that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."

Now the question is, in what sense did Christ bear our sins? and in what sense are we healed by his stripes? Christ did not bear them in the same sense in which transgressors bear their own sins. It is evident from many places of Scripture, that for a person to bear his sins, is to be punished for them. Aaron and his sons were commanded of God, to be furnished with such a dress as he had prescribed, "when they should come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity and die." And the Lord saith in another place; "They shall therefore, keep mine ordinance lest they bear sin for it." And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying; "And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God, shall bear his sin." Bearing sin in these places and in many others, that might be mentioned, evidently, means to be punished for it. In this sense, Christ did not bear our sin. Christ suffered in his body on the tree on account of our sin; and this suffering was included in the work of redemption, which opens the way for our salvation. This suffering was necessary

in the divine estimation, in the same sense that the shedding of the blood of Christ was necessary. A person bears his sin when it is imputed unto him. "Blessed" then "is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." When sin is imputed to a person it supposes that he has to bear the punishment of it; and therefore

when it is not imputed, it is forgiven, and the punishment, of course, not inflicted. Christ's bearing our sins in his own body on the tree, supposes, that his blood, which speaketh better things than the blood of Abel, will take away sin, if suitable application of it be made to the mind of the sinner: For this reason, the language of the redeemed is, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." Christ having shed his blood for us, so far as application of it is made, all sin will be taken away. "Therefore, once in the end of the world, the Son of man hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." When our sins are forgiven through the blood of the Lamb, it may be said that Christ has borne them away; in the same sense as when he heals the sick, he is said to bear their sicknesses. This is fully illustrated by what we find in St. Matthew, viii, 16, 17. When the even was come they brought unto him, (that is to Christ) many that were possessed with devils; and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bear our sicknesses.

4. Being redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, does not suppose, that the righteousness of Christ is transferred from him to those for whom he died. A transfer of righteousness is not necessary to salvation.

When we were without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Christ was obedient unto death even the death of the cross, for our benefit, for our salvation. We are redeemed from our vain conversation, by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. But this does not suppose that his righteousness becomes our righteousness; cr that his obedience becomes our obedience. This is impossible in the nature of things. The way to be righteous is to do righteousness, is evident from what iş said by Saint John, "Little children, let no man deceive

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you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." That is, he that doeth righteousness'is righteous even as Christ is righteous. Therefore the way to be righteous as Christ is righteous, is not to have his righteousness transferred to us, but that we do righteousness. No man can be righteous except he himself do that which is right. To be right in the sight of God, we must act with an upright heart: it must be our own uprightness, and not the uprightness of anoth er. "Christ was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin." But our sins are not taken away by the transferring of his righteousness to us, and our sins to him. When Christ takes away our heart of stone, he does not take that hard heart to himself; there is no hardness transferred to him from us.* And so, when we are made righteous through the obedience of Christ, his righteousness does not become our righteousness. God can make us holy and happy, in consequence of the righteousness of Christ; or he can justify us through the redemption there is in Christ Jesus. But this does not make our sin to be his sin, nor his righteousness, our righteousness. Where it is said, He was made sin for us; the meaning is, he was made a sin-offering for us, which, according to the original plan in the covenant of redemption was necessary; and, to answer the type according to the Mosaic dispensation, it was necessary that Christ should give himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour."

"Some, however, may still ask, does not the Scripture speak of imputation? and does not imputation suppose that God may and does transfer both righteousness and unrighteousness, from one person to another?" The Scripture speaks of good and bad actions being imputed: but when this is done, the good actions. are imputed to those who do them; and a reward is

* Ezek. xxxvi, 26.

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