temporal death to which he was liable; as a representative of our freedom from eternal death by the blood of the cross. This will appear more clearly by considering, 1. That all kinds of placatory sacrifices are referred to Christ in the New Testament. 2. That all their effects are attributed to him in a sublimer and most perfect manner.

He is called a lamb in the notion of a sacrifice, “ The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13. 8. A lamb was used in the expiation of moral and legal impurities, Lev. 5. 6. & 14. 12. He is called "

our passover that was sacrificed for us. 1 Cor. 5. 7. The Paschal Lamb in its first institution had an expiatory efficacy, Exod. 12. 13. for God by looking on that blood, averted the destruction from the Israelites, which seized on the Egyptians. This was the reason of the prohibition, that none should go out of the house till the morning, lest they should be struck by the destroy ing angel: not but that the angel could distinguish the Israelites from the Egyptians abroad, but it was typical, to show their security was in being under the guard of the Lamb's blood, which was shed to spare theirs. Thus the apostle Peter tells us, 1 Pet. 1. 19. “ We are redeemed by the blood of the pure and perfect Lamb.” And he was represented by the red heifer, whose ashes were the chief ingredient in the water of purification. “ For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ purge the conscience ?” Heb. 9. 13, 14. Especially the anniversary sacrifice, which was the abridgment and recapitulation of all the rest, had an eminent respect to Christ : the whole epistle to the Hebrews is tinctured with this divine doctrine.

2dly. The effects of Christ's death are infinitely more excellent than those that proceeded from levitical sacrifices. “The law had a shadow of good things to come.” Heb. 10. 1. But the real virtue and efficacy is only found in Christ.

1. The averting of God's wrath is ascribed to his death; according to the words of the apostle. Rom. 3. 25, 26. “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of him that believes in Jesus.” A propitiation inasapoy, the

title of the mercy-seat, partly in regard it covered the tables of the law which were broke by us, to signify that by him pardon is procured for us, and principally because God was rendered

propitious by the sprinkling the blood of the sacrifice on it, and exhibited himself there, as on a throne of grace, favourable to his people. For this reason he gives the name of the figure to Christ, for he alone answers the charge of the law, and interposes between justice and our guilt, and by his own blood hath reconciled God to us. Now the design of God in this appointment was to “declare his righteousness ;” that is, that glorious attribute that inclines him to punish sinners : for in the legal propitiations, although the guilt of men was publicly declared in the death of the sacrifices, yet the justice of God did not fully appear, since he accepted the life of a beast in compensation for the life of a man: but in the death of Christ he hath given the most clear demonstration of his justice, a sufficient example of his hatred to sin, condemning and punishing it in the person of his beloved Son; that the whole world may acknowledge it was

; not from any inadvertency, but merely by the dispensation of his wisdom and goodness that he forbore so long. And by the death of Christ he hath declared that glorious mystery which no created understanding could ever have conceived, that he is inflexibly just, and will not suffer sin to pass unpunished, and that he justifies those who are guilty in themselves, if by a purifying faith they receive Christ for pardon. The same apostle tells us, that Christ hath “given himself for us, * an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.” Eph. 5. 2. He is qualified as a priest, whose office it was to present to God an offering for appeasing his anger; "he gave himself;" the oblation that is added to his death, gives the complete formality of a sacrifice to it; for it is the priest gives being to the sacrifice : and the effect of it is, to be a sweet smelling savour to God, that is, to conciliate his favour to us. The same phrase is applied to the sin-offering under the law. We may observe that upon this account, our reconciliation to God is attributed to the death of Christ, in distinction from his glorified life: “for if when we

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were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." the same apostle tells us," 2 Cor. 5. 19. that God was in "Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; we pray you therefore in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God." A double reconciliation is mentioned, that of God to men, and of men to God: the first is the ground of the apostle's exhortation, the latter the effect of it. The first was obtained by the death of Christ, who by imputation had our guilt transferred upon him, and consequently our punishment; and in consideration of it, God who is just and holy, is willing to pardon penitent believers. The latter is by the powerful working of the spirit, who assures men that are guilty, and therefore suspicious and fearful of God's anger, that he is most willing to pardon them upon their repentance, since he hath in such an admirable manner found out the means to satisfy his justice.

1. 7.) that his "blood cleanseth from all sin: and that it purgeth the conscience from dead works;" Heb. 9. 4. and that "we are washed from our sins in his blood." Rev. 1. 6. The frequent sprinklings and purifications with water under the law, prefigured our cleansing from the defilements of sin by the grace of the spirit; but the shedding of the blood of sacrifices was to purge away sins so far as they were made liable to a curse.

(3.) Our exemption from punishment, and our restoration to communion with God in grace and glory is the fruit of his expiating sin. For this reason the blood of the Mediator "speaks better things than that of Abel." Heb. 12. 24. For that cried for revenge against the murderer, but his procures remission to believers. And as the just desert of sin is separation from the presence of God, who is the fountain of felicity; so when the guilt is taken away, the person is received into God's favour and fellowship. A representation of this is set down in the 24th of Exodus, where we have described the manner of dedicating the covenant between God and Israel by bloody sacrifices: after Moses had finished the offering, and sprinkled the blood on the altar and the people, the Elders of Israel who were forbid before to approach near to the Lord, were then invited to come into his presence, and in token of reconciliation feasted before him. Thus the eternal covenant is established by the blood of the Mediator, and all the benefits it contains, as remission of sins, freedom to draw near to the throne of grace, and the enjoyment of God in glory, are the fruits of his reconciling sacrifice.

The sum of all is this, that as under the law God was not appeased without shedding of blood, nor sin expiated without suffering the punishment, nor the sinner pardoned without the substitution of a sacrifice; so all these are eminently accomplished in the death of Christ. He reconciled God to us by his most precious blood, and expiated sin by enduring the curse, and hath procured our pardon by being "made sin for us." So that it is most evident, that the proper and direct end of the death of Christ was, that God might exercise his mercy to the guilty sinner in a way that is honourable to his justice.

It is objected, that if God from infinite mercy gave his Son to us, then antecedently to the coming of Christ he had the highest love for mankind, and consequently there was no need that Christ

by his death should satisfy justice, to reconcile him to us. But. a clear answer may be given to this by considering,

That anger and love are consistent at the same time, and may in several respects be terminated on the same subject. A father resents a double affection towards a rebellious son; he loves him as his son, is angry with him as disobedient. Thus in our lapsed state, God had compassion on us as his creatures, and was angry with us as sinners. As the injured party he laid aside his anger, but as the preserver of justice he required satisfaction.

We must distingush between a love of good-will and compassion, and a love of complacency. The first is that which moved God to ordain the means, that without prejudice to his other perfections he might confer pardon and all spiritual benefits upon us: the other is that whereby he delights in us being reconciled to him, and renewed according to his image. The first supposes him placable, the latter that he is appeased. There is a visible instance of this in the case of Job's friends. The Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, Job 42.7, 8. “ my anger is kin

, dled against thee, and thy two friends; because ye have not spoken of me the things that are right, as my servant Job." Here is a declaration of God's anger, yet with the mixture of love: for it follows, “ therefore take unto you now seven bullocks, and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering, and my servant Job shall pray for you, for him will I accept.”. He loved them when he directed the way that they might be restored to his favour ; yet he was not reconciled, for then there had been no need of sacrifices to atone his anger,

It is further objected, that supposing the satisfaction of Christ to justice, both the freeness and greatness of God's love in pardoning sinners, will be much lessened. But it will appear that the divine mercy is not prejudiced in either of those respects.

1. The freeness of God's love is not diminished, for that is the original mover in our salvation, and hath no cause above it, to excite or draw it forth, but merely arises from his own will. This love is so absolute, that it hath no respect to the sufferings of Christ as Mediator: for God so “ loved the world, that he gave his Son to die for us.” Rom. 9. 18. And that which is the effect and testimony of his love, cannot be the impulsive cause