fins, by fuffering in his own person the penalty or curfe of the law, under which, by tranfgreffion, they had fallen fo that finners might be pardoned and faved, confiftent with the divine law, and without the least respect to that, or in any degree making it void; but fo as to establish and honour the law.

There is no truth in the Bible more clearly and abundantly revealed than this. This truth is evident from what has been above obferved from the fcriptures; but it is proper more particularly to attend to the fcripture reprefentation of this important fubje&t.

The inftitution of facrifices of beasts and other animals, after the apoftacy of man, and the declaration, that redemption fhould take place by the feed of the woman; and those more exprefsly appointed under the Mofaic difpenfation, do all, more or lefs, illuftrate and confirm this truth, and point out vicarious fufferings as neceffary and effectual to make atonement for fin. The guilty person was ordered to bring the beaft to the alter, and lay his hands on the head of it, and confefs his fin; and then it was put to death and facrificed on the altar by the priest, instead of the finner, and he was forgiven, an atonement being made for his fin by the death and blood of the beaft. Thefe facrifices were of various kinds, and

and roasted with fire, as There was a particular

The pafchal lamb was an eminent type of Chrift, with a principal reference to which he is fo often called "The Lamb, the Lamb of God." Therefore he is called the chriftian's paffover. "For even Chrift our paff. over, is facrificed for us." This lamb was flain, an emblem of the sufferings and death of Chrift. direction and command refpecting the blood of this lamb. "And they fhall take of the blood, and strike it on the two fide pofts, and on the upper door poft of the houfes, wherein they hall eat it. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houfes where you are: And when I fee the blood, I will pafs over you, and the plague fhall not be upon you to destroy you, when I fmite the land of Egypt." As the blood of this flain lamb, when applied according to divine direction, fecured the Ifraelites from the deftruction which fell on the Egyptians; fo Chrift was flain and facrificed, that they to whom his blood is applied by their believing in him, may have their fins forgiven, and be fecured from that destruction which they deferve being delivered from the wrath to come.I

* 1 Cor. v.7. ↑ Exod. xii. † Eph. i. 7. The i, 1e,

and offered on different occafions, as types of Christ, and thofe things which related to him, and the atonement he was to make. For all thefe facrifices were defigned types of Chrift, and in this all their worth and efficacy confifted. The death and blood of a beaft could not in any measure or degree, make atonement for fin, and was of no avail any farther than it had respect to Chrift, and was a type and figure of his death, of his blood which he fhed, which was the only real atonement, and which alone avails to take away fin. "For it is impoffible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away fins." It was therefore, in early times, exprefsly declared, that facrifices and offerings were not defirable or of any worth, in themselves confidered, and that God did not inftitute and require them for their own fake, as making any real atonement for fin; but that this should be made by an incarnate Redeemer, to whom they pointed as types and fhadows of him.*

And he is particularly pointed out by Ifaiah, as making atonement for him by fuffering the evil which it de-in serves in the room of finners, and for them, that they might escape punishment, and be pardoned. He says, "He was wounded for our tranfgreffions, he was bruifed for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his ftripes we are healed. The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was cut off out of the land of the living: For the tranfgreffion of my people was he ftricken. It pleafed the Lord to bruife him. He hath put him to grief: When thou fhalt make his foul an offering for fin, he fhall fee his feed. By his knowledge fhall my righteous fervant juftify many; for he fhall bear their iniquities. He poured out his foul unto death, and he bare the fin of many.”+ To bear fin, or iniquity, is to fuffer the punishment of it, or the evil which it deferves, and with which it is threatFf4 ened.

Pfalm xl. 6, 7, 8. Heb. x. 4-9. Ifaiah liii. Chap. throughout

ened. This appears not only from the plain, natural import of the phrafes, but from the use of it in the Bi ble, of which there are many instances. The following are a few of them. "The holy garments shall be upon Aaron, and his fons, when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place, that they bear not iniquity, and die."* 'They fhall therefore keep mine ordinance, left they bear fin for it, and die therefor, if they profane it." "Neither muft the children of Ifrael henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, left they bear fin, and die." The Apostles express the import of the fufferings and death of Chrift by the fame phrafe. "So Chrift was once offered to bare the fins of many." "Who his own felf bare our fins in his own body on the tree."I

In the epiftle to the Hebrews, the typical meaning of facrifices of beafts is explained, and declared to be defigned to point out the facrifice and atonement which Chrift has made, when he offered himself once for all, as a facrifice to put away fin, and bear the fins of many; the plain meaning of which is, that he, by his fufferings, took on him the penalty of fin, and bore the punishment of it, fo as effectually to put it away from all who believe in him, that it may never be laid to their charge, to condemn' them. He having made full atonement and reconciliation. In this fenfe he is faid to be the propitiation for the fins of men. And men are faid to obtain redemption and forgiveness of fins by or through his blood, in allufion to the blood of the facrifices under the law, which was the most effential thing in them, and is faid to make the atonement. "The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your fouls: For it is the blood that maketh alonement for the foul." Our Saviour fays of the facramental cup, when he inftituted the Lord's fupper,

this, St. Paul fays, "In whom we have giveness of fins." Chrift cleanseth us,

"This is my blood of the New Teftament, which is shed for many, for the remiffion of fins."+ Agreeable to "We are justified by his blood."‡ redemption through his blood; the forAnd St. John fays, The blood of [that is Chriftians] from all fins."|| St. Peter tells believers that they were "redeemed by the precious blood of Chrift, as of a lamb without blemish, and without fpot."¶ In heaven the faved adore the Redeemer, and say, "Thou art worthy, &c. For thou waftflain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy blood."*

There are a multitude of paffages in the New Testament which fet this point in this fame light, and clearly import that what Chrift fuffered was in man's ftead, and does avail to release all who believe in him, from suffer-, ing the penalty of the law; and that by this alone they are redeemed from the curfe of the law, which is eternal deftruction. These paffages are too many to be particularly quoted. Only a few therefore will be mentioned.

Chrift fays, " The Son of man came not to be miniftred unto, but to minifter, and to give his life a ransom for many." He redeems or ranfoms them by giving his life, his fuffering unto death; this is the price, the ground of their deliverance. St. Paul fays to believers, " Ye are bought with a price." The word in the original, which is here tranflated bought, is the fame with that in Rev. v. 9. which is tranflated redeemed. "Thou haft redeemed us to God by thy blood." The price by which men are bought, and redeemed from the curfe of the law, from endless destruction, is the blood of Chrift, which he fhed for the remiffion of fins, that is, his fuffering unto death. The death of Chrift, and the blood of Chrift, mean the fame thing. In fhedding his blood and dying, he was made a curfe, by which he has bought, redeemed, and delivered his people from the curfe of the law. His life was the ranfom

+ Matth. xxvi. 28.

Rom. v. 9. § Eph. i. 7. || 1 John i. 7. 1 Pet. i. 19. Rev. v. 9. † Matth. xx. 28. 1 Cor. vi. 20. vii. 23.

guilty of crimes which are pardoned, and from which they are juftified by the blood of Chrift.

In order more fully to explain and establish the a tonement of Christ, which he has made by his fuffering unto death, as it has been represented from the holy fcripture; and to obviate, as far as poffible, every difficulty and objection which may arife in the minds of any, it is proper and neceffary to confider the following quel. tions.

QUESTION I. WHERE is the juftice of an innocent perfon fuffering for the guilty, and, on that account, delivering the criminal from the fufferings which he deferves? How can fuch a procedure honour the law, and fupport government?

ANSWER I. THE Scripture flates the matter fo, and abundantly afferts, that Chrift, though perfectly innocent and holy himself, did die for finners, and in their behalf; that he suffered, the juft for the unjuft; and that by this, all who believe in him are delivered from the evil, the fuffering, which they deserve, and faved forever. Therefore every objection to this, is equally an objection to the Bible. Let Deifts object, and triumph in the imagination that it is unanswerable; but let Chriftians believe, and with care and honeft meekness confider, whether this fuppofed difficulty may not be easily re

moved.

ANSWER II. CAN it be reasonably afferted; is it true, that an innocent, worthy person may not justly, and with the utmost propriety, fuffer in the room of a crim. inal, in order to fave the latter from fuffering, in any cafe whatsoever? Is not the contrary true, and agreeable to the common fenfe of mankind? Benevolus fuftained the best and most worthy character of any man

in