trine? He suffered as a witness; but not as a witness only. The doctrine to which he gave testimony, even in his death, the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many, is the doctrine of the atonement. Did he suffer as an example? Yes: but not merely as an example. He patiently endured tribulation in our redemption, and set us an example of suffering patiently in our profession of faith in his blood. The example is precious. It is encouraging. It is effectual. But strip the sufferings of Christ Jesus of this character-they were the punishment of our sins; and they then cease to be a salutary example. What! Messiah suffered for no sin? and yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him! Such an example would be terrifying, disgusting, detestable. What an example! That per fect innocence may be rewarded by Jehovah with the most terrible pains!An example, that God is pleased to bruise his Son without a cause or an object! An example that the greatest holiness may be doomed to the most exquisite anguish !-An example, of cruelly taking the sceptre from the hand of justice, and sporting with the tortures of one in whom there was no fault, to whose account there was none charged, who ought not to have suffered! And is this the doctrine which the wisdom of the world would persuade us to consider as more equitable than the doctrine of the atonement? The wisdom of the world is foolishness with God.

Adopt the scriptural representation of the sufferings of Christ, and all is consistent. Beloved of God, holy and harmless as he was, he ought to suffer. By the constitution of the covenant of grace, he became our surety-he bore our sins our guilt was transferred to him-he must accordingly bear

our griefs. Justice demands the punishment of our

sins.

Hear his own words: "O fools, and slow of heart to believe-ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory*?" Even so might grace reign through righteousness-Grace reign, in the constitution of the system, through justice displayed in the execution of the victim. For

3. Christ Jesus offered sacrifice in our behalf in order to procure reconciliation for us.

Eph. 5. 2. Christ also hath loved us, and bath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God. To God he offered the sacrifice; for God was offended and must be appeased, or we, whom he loved, must perish for ever. The Redeemer is the priest, who offered unto God the sacrifice, which is our propitiation. He is, himself, the sacrifice, which he offered unto God, for a sweet smelling savour. He gave his life a ransom for many.

From the earliest ages of the world, sacrifice formed a part of the religious worship offered unto God by fallen man. "Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also, brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof."

The Hebrew ritual provided for this kind of religious worship in an eminent degree. The Priesthood, and the variety of sacrifices presented by them, according to the Levitical law, gave a peculiar character to the whole system of ordinances appointed of God for his people Israel. These sacrifices were piacular. Therefore, we so frequently read, in the law which required them, of the atonement which they made †. We are, however, inform

*Luke 24. 25, 26.

† Exod. 29. 36. & 30. 10: Lev. 1. 4. & 4. 20. Num. 15. 25. &c. &c.

ed by the word of truth" that the law can never with those sacrifices make the comers thereunto perfect. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." The great object in view is taking away sins. And this object is accomplished by the sacrifice which these represented" through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." Whatever other ends the kind of worship, prescribed by the Old Testament dispensation of the covenant of grace, may have answered, the principal end, certainly, was the exhibition of the doctrine of the atonement. Moral sacrifices, such as praise, penitence, and prayer, are always due from us to Jehovah; but there is nothing of spirituality naturally connected with the killing of beasts, or the burning of flesh upon an altar.

The external acts of devotion, required of the Hebrews, were well adapted to the minority of the church. A form of worship, greatly symbolical, was appropriate to a very illiterate age; and these symbols were peculiarly adapted to the preservation of the descendants of Abraham from surrounding idolatries. The whole systein continually kept the Israelites in mind of their dependence on God for the fruits of the field and the increase of the fold. But its principal value is its fitness to keep up a lively conviction of the offensive nature of sin, and to prefigure the sacrifice which was offered by Jesus Christ. The bloody victim directed the faith of the heirs of Isaac and Jacob to the atonement of Christ, the promised seed.

The apostles laboured to turn the attention of their cotemporaries to this object. And the hand of the Baptist is the index from the levitical sacriVol. III.-No. II.

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fices to the one which gave them all their efficacy

Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world! The epistle to the Hebrews, throws open the doors of the Levitical tabernacle, and all its rich gospel treasure is exposed to view. Jesus hath an unchangeable priesthood. And every high Priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices. Christ through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God. After he had offered one sacrifice for sins, he, for ever, sat down on the right hand of God*. Himself the priest, himself the sacrifice, and the sacrifice offered to God for our sins. Is not this ample atonement? It is. Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.

4. The satisfaction which the Redeemer made for our offences, is acknowledged in heaven to be complete. Eph. 4. 32. God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you.

Forgiveness of sin, is a covering of its offence against God by the atonement. The satisfaction made by the Redeemer is declared accepted, therefore, when God for Christ's sake grants pardon to the offender. Therefore are they before the throne of God, which have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. And he that sitteth upon the throne having issued the proclamation in the sinner's favour, Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom, declares his satisfaction with the sacrifice-a sacrifice of sweet smelling savour unto God. It is impossible it would be otherwise. The dignity of the High Priest the infinite value of the offering-the declaration on the cross, It is finished-the resurrection from the dead-the glorious exaltation of Messiah

* Heb. 7. 24. & 8. S. & 10. 12. & 22.

-the gifts of the Holy Ghost-the salvation of the sinner-These speak, yes, they declare with an irresistible persuasion, that satisfaction for sin is complete, and that

5. Reconciliation with God is established on the footing of that satisfaction.

Rom. 5. 10. When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. There cannot be given a more certain evidence that atonement is made for an offence, than that reconciliation is fully established between the parties at variance. When the scriptures assure us, therefore, that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, they testify that Christ hath made adequate atonement for our sins. We were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.

Shall it be said that the enmity is altogether on our part, and that Jesus Christ died, not to appease the wrath of heaven, but to slay the enmity of the human heart? How could the death of Christ effect this, otherwise than by making atonement for our sins, and so procuring the blessings of sanctification for us? Is it still insisted, that the barriers to a reconciliaton with God are altogether on the side of man, and that Christ came into the world only to remove these barriers. What? was the atonement then made to us in order to reconcile us? Were the sacrifices of the Levitical law offered to man? Was Christ Jesus ordained the High Priest of man? Did he offer the sacrifice to man? Did he pay the ransom to man? Is the scripture phraseology to be reversed, or is its meaning the reverse of its language? Did Jesus offer himself as the sweet-smelling sacrifice to man for the sins of the godhead? And is this the criticism which shall overturn the doctrine of the atonement? Is this the criticism which shall explain the the scriptures rationally, and consistently,