* 
 
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 ^ From the Rev. W. B. SPRAGUE, D.D. Sept. 1839 . ^ 
 
 Sprague Collection. Vol. 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Sluologira! J'nn inane 
 
 PRINCETON. N. ± 
 xt r' Division 
 
 No. Case,_ 
 
 No. Shelf, S-qgu ------ 
 
 No. Book,_- 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2017 with funding from 
 Princeton Theological Seminary Library 
 
 https ://arch i ve. o rg/detai Is/scri ptu redoctri nOO west 
 

 Mr. Weft’s 
 EXAMINATION 
 
 of the DOCTRINE of 
 
 ATONEMENT. 
 
W- 
 
 THE 
 
 i 
 
 -SCRIPTURE DOCTRINi 
 
 O F 
 
 If 
 
 ATONEMENT, 
 
 Proposed to careful 
 
 Examination; 
 
 By STEPHEN WEST, A. M, 
 Pastor of the Church in STOCKBRIDGE. 
 
 Ought not Chrift to have fujfered thefe Things—? 
 
 Luke, xxiv. 2 6 . 
 
 Without Jhedding of Blood is no Remijfior.. Heb. ix. 22. 
 
 N E IV - H A V E N; 
 
 Printed by MEIGS, BOWEN and DANA. 
 M, DCC, LXXXY. 
 
r \ 
 
PREFACE 
 
 A MONG the feveral doctrines of 
 divine Revelation, that of the 
 Atonement holds a place of principal 
 importance ; and, has fo evident a 
 connection with the diftingujfhing doc¬ 
 trines of Chriftianity, that they will 
 be found, on careful inquiry, to ftand 
 or fall with it. ‘This lies at the hot- 
 
 
 tom of that fyftem of fentiments which 
 principally diftinguifhes Chriftianity 
 from mere natural religion. With this 
 are connected the doCtrines of the Di¬ 
 vinity of Chrifii juftification by an un¬ 
 fitted righteoufnefs and the perpetuity 
 of punifhment in the future world, 
 For, it the doCtrine of atonement be 
 
 given 
 
( Vi ) 
 
 given up ; that of the Divinity of 
 Chrift will no longer he maintained : 
 As we can hardly believe that a 
 God ever came into the world toper- 
 fcrm a work which did not require the 
 perfection and power oi -a God; or, 
 that he came to reveal in words, and 
 enforce by example, a fyfieiji of doc¬ 
 trines, which might haye been as per¬ 
 fectly revealed, and as : compleatly ex¬ 
 emplified, by a mere creature . If 
 there be no atonement for fin, the re¬ 
 pentance of tinners mu ft be the foie 
 ground on which they are pardoned; 
 and laved : And, confequently, no 
 other righteoufnefs than their own is, 
 in any fenfe, the ground of acceptance 
 in the fight of God. If, moreover, 
 the moral law , that perfect rule of 
 divine government, will admit peni¬ 
 tents to favour, without any atone¬ 
 ment ; it will hardly be believed that 
 the difpontion, in the governor of the 
 world, which Rich a law, fo con- 
 
 ftru&ed. 
 
drafted, and fo underitcod, will n 
 turally exhibit; can ever admit of 
 indicting etertial torments on any 
 his creatures. For, if the offence 
 the finner be no greater, in the view 
 of God, than may be overlooked mere¬ 
 ly upon the conflderation of his re- 
 fehffMce, and, not only wholly over¬ 
 looked, but the tranfgreflor be treated 
 with every mark of friendfhip and fa¬ 
 vour : Who will believe that there is 
 difpleaflure enough exifting in the di- 
 vind mind, ever to inflict eternal tor - 
 ments f For God to make fuch a dif- 
 tin&ion between one who confeffedly 
 fpends this fhort life chiefly in fln, 
 and one who fpends it wholly fo ; and 
 that , too, when the crimes of the for¬ 
 mer, as the cafe may be, and many 
 times in flaB is, greatly exceed thofe 
 of the latter ; naturally furpaffeth all 
 belief. 
 
 Therefore, he that renounceth the 
 dodlrine of atonement , to be confident 
 
 with 
 
C .via ) 
 
 with himfelf, mufl, alfo, renounce 
 thofe of the Divinity of Chrifi , and 
 the eternity of punifoment . And, 
 when thefe three grand points are giv¬ 
 en up, there is nothing left, in the 
 fyilem of revealed truth, materially to 
 ciiftinguifh it from mere natural religi¬ 
 on : And a crucified Chrifi will no 
 longer appear to be the power of God 
 and the wifdom of God. 
 
 For this reafon it is that thedo&rine 
 of atonement has ever been a rock of 
 offence to the enemies of divine Reve¬ 
 lation. Becaufe it {lands in this con¬ 
 nection, and fo evidently implies, both 
 die Divinity of Chrifi, and the eter¬ 
 nity of punifhment; many have la¬ 
 boured, with their whole ftrength, to 
 fubvert it. But, if this falls, it falls 
 like a flrong man ; pulling down 
 with it, the very pillars of Chriflianity. 
 
 Thefe confiderations, it is hoped, 
 will be a fufficient apology for an at¬ 
 tempt to vindicate this great doCtriiie,. 
 
 and 
 
I 
 
 ( ix ') 
 
 Und fet it m its true and feriptufa 
 lic'ht. Of the fuecefs with which thi 
 
 CD ^ 
 
 deiipm is executed, in the following 
 pages ; the candid, intelligent reader 
 muff judge. I can only fay that a 
 d'etre to fupport an Lvpothejjs has not, 
 that I am fenhble, gioffed any of thole 
 paffages of Scripture, which I have 
 had occahoii to conhder, in the dif- 
 cuffion or thefabjecf. I pretend not, 
 however, to be free from thofe prepof- 
 fefilons which are common to finiui 
 men. 
 
 But the following treat!fe, imper¬ 
 fect as it is, with all due deference, is 
 humbly offered to public view ; in 
 hope that it may be the occafion of 
 throwing feme fmall degree of light 
 on fo important a fubjedt. No cauti¬ 
 on, it is readily feen, is neceffary to 
 be given to any one, againii receiving 
 any thing that is contained in it, Upon 
 the mere authority of the writer. If 
 what of truth may be contained ill 
 B the 
 
( x ) 
 
 :he following examination cf the 
 Scripture Dodfrine of atonement, may 
 gain admiflion into the minds and 
 hearts of fach as fhall be at the trouble 
 cf -perilling it; this will be the utmoil 
 that can reafonably be afked, or dc- 
 fired by the Author, 
 
 N,/ I A i - ' * ' 
 
 Sisckbridge , 14 th Aprils 1785, 
 
( V ■) 
 
 C ONTAINING obfervatiom 
 refpedling Gods chief end 
 in the creation of the worlds Page i—>io. 
 
 CHAP. II, An inquiry into the original 
 ground of the neceffity of an atonement , in 
 order to the jorgivenefs of jin. 10—37. 
 
 CHAP. III. An inquiry into the d'ejign and 
 import of the bloody facrifces required under 
 the Mofaic difpenfation. 37-—53. 
 
 CHAP. IIII. In which it is inquired whe¬ 
 ther there be not evidence that Chrifi died in 
 tbe ROOM and STEAD of /inners. 5-3—65,* 
 
 CHAP. V. Shewing the neceffity of Chrifi's 
 perfedi obedience in order to his making atone¬ 
 ment for fin\ and\ the inf uence which his 
 perfonal righteoufixfs hath\ in procuring par¬ 
 don for the- finner. 65,—76. 
 
 CHAP. VI. Shewing the ends which are an- 
 fwered by the fufferings of Chrifi ; and, what 
 is tbe language and import of them. 76—102*, 
 
 CHAP, 
 
CHAP. VII. In which it is Jhewn that the 
 angerxf God which appeared , and was ex - 
 pre/fed, in the bufferings of Chrif- y was, re~ 
 ally, againjl /inners. 102—119. 
 
 CHAP. VIII.' Shewing the conffency of full 
 atonement with free pardon. 119—128. 
 
 CHAP. IX. Shewing in what way it may 
 be accountedfor, that the fufferings of Chrijl 
 jhkild be exceedingly gre at. 12 8— 141. 
 
 CHAP. X. Shewing in what fenfe atorie - 
 : meni is made for the fins of the whole 
 world. 141—-164. 
 
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THE 
 
 SCRIPTURE DOCTRINE 
 
 OF 
 
 ATONEMENT, &e. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 O bfervations refpeEling God’s chief End in the 
 Creation of the World. 
 
 O N E principal difficulty in underftand- 
 ing this great and fundamental dotftrine, 
 probably confifts in our ignorance of the necef- 
 fity of it. So long as we difcern no neceffity of 
 an atonement for fin, in order to forgivenefs, 
 the nature and import of it will be unintelli¬ 
 gible. And, the reafon why an atonement for 
 fin is neceffary, will not be feen, without fome 
 juft and general view of the great End for 
 which God originally gave birth to Creation. 
 
 Though unaffifted reafon might be very une¬ 
 qual to the determination of fo important a queft- 
 ron, divine revelation hath abundantly fupplied 
 the defedt; in forming our fentiments on a queft- 
 ion of fuch moment, it becomes us to be efpeci- 
 ally careful that we do not pervert nor go afide 
 from the inftru&ions of the word of God. Ta-. 
 
CHAP. I f 
 
 king Revelation for our guide, we need not be 
 afraid to enquire into things which are above the 
 reach of mere natural reafon. And, by thefe un¬ 
 erring oracles we are unquestionably authoriled 
 to conclude, that a difplay , ■ or manifefititkn , of 
 of bis ozvn true and infinitely holy char abler, mas the 
 chief and ultimate end mhich God had in view, 
 in creation.y . ■ ■ 
 
 For God to manifeft his own proper charac¬ 
 ter is, invariably, to, mariifelt iome thing that is 
 excellent. Wherever we difeover- the divine cha¬ 
 racter, we fee Something that is excellent. To fay, 
 therefore, that a manifeftation of his own true and 
 holy character was God’s chief and ultimateEnd in 
 creation, is no more than fayipg, in the language 
 of Scripture, that he made all things for his plca- 
 fury, forhis glory, or for his great name's "Jake, ft 
 is the pleafure, and the glory of God, to make 
 Some external exhibition of his own inherent per¬ 
 fection ; 'and, to. difeover to hi? creatures, his 
 own proper character, which is, in itfelf, infi¬ 
 nitely excellent. God evidently designed to ex* 
 hibit an external image, or portraiture of his 
 own infinite piind, in which its beauties and 
 excellencies might be leen by his creatures. 
 Tut, the excellencies of Mind, we are all lenfi¬ 
 bre, can be adeemed by others, only in the 
 external expre ikons of its capacity and difpofi- 
 tion, or temper. So that we have no where to 
 learn the divine character, but in his works, 
 taken in connexion with his word. 
 
 As we all agree that Goa is moft eminent?, 
 iy good, it is evident that the real difpofirion cf 
 
 . his . 
 
 T toil a p-.rticular enumeration of pafiages pf Scripture in proof 
 
 . ' point, fee. the late Prelidcnt Edwards op Cop s J:fl, End m 
 t., ci fatten of the World. 
 
CHAP. I. 
 
 his infinite mind doth not appear, excepting jn 
 works of goodnels, and where fome good is a at- 
 ually done. His true character, therefore, can¬ 
 not othenvife be manifefted than in doing gocjd. 
 Confequently, a manifeftaticn of the proper clfa- 
 radter of God, will neceffarily comprehend all 
 the good, all the created felicity, which he ever 
 had it in defign to bring about j and, which 
 will ever be acconmliffied. 
 
 That the chief and ultimate End which God 
 had in view in creation, was a manifeftation of 
 his own true and proper charadfer, may appear 
 from thefe two confiderations, viz. 
 
 I. We can conceive of no other End which 
 the fupreme Being could have in view in this 
 great work. The motives for God to create , muff, 
 of nece fifty, all be within himfelf. No motive 
 pould be derived from any thing out of himfelf; 
 for no Inch thing had any exigence. And, to fay 
 that Creation itielf, or any thing created, was the 
 motive, in the divine mind, to creation ; is but 
 going in a circle ; and leaves us as ignorant of 
 the End of creation at the clofe of our inquiry, 
 as at our firft fetting out, 
 
 To fay that the happinefs to be produced by 
 creation, was God’s primary End in giving birth 
 to it, fuppofes that the Creator is effentially of a 
 difpofition to be pleaded with the happinefs of 
 his creatures. This mu.ft be true, in order that 
 the happinefs of creatures might be a motive to 
 him to create. And, if God is effentially poffefff 
 ed of a difpofition of this kind of fuff,dent 
 (frength to induce him to create ; He neither 
 needed, nor in the nature of things Could have, 
 ?.ny motive from without himfelf, to this great. 
 
 work, 
 
CHAP. I. 
 
 4- 
 
 •work. In this cafe the difpofition to produce and 
 ciffufe happinefs, muft, itfelf, be the motive to 
 the work of creation ; and, not the hitherto un¬ 
 created happinefs. And, if this difpofition were 
 net originally of fuch ftrength, as neceffarily to 
 flow out in its natural effects ; there neither was, 
 nor could be, any thing in the univerfe, tc give 
 it new ftrength, and draw it forth into action. 
 If the difpofition to produce and diffufe happi¬ 
 nefs were not, itfelf, the motive to creation ; 
 we can conceive of nothing to give lpring to it, 
 and fet it in motion : And, it muft, of courfe, 
 remain utterly unaccountable that ever God made 
 
 the world. 
 
 ✓ 
 
 The obi eft of the divine Mind, in creation, 
 could not be really to add to himfelf, or increafe 
 his own fulnefs: For, his being and fulnefs were 
 already infinite ; and, of courfe, beyond a poffi- 
 bility of increafe. It remains, therefore, that to 
 diffufe that infinite and unbounded fulnefs which 
 he poffdfeth in himfelf, muft have been the pri¬ 
 mary and original end of creation. And, this is 
 nothing different from faying that a manifejlation 
 vf his own true character, was the chief and ulti- 
 tnate End which God had in view , in creation. 
 
 II. There could, in the nature of things, be 
 no higher or more excellent end of creation, than 
 a manifeftation of the true character of God. 
 As the divine character is in itfelf, tranfcendently 
 excellent ; fo are all the manifeftations of it in 
 the exercifes of his perfections : And, in thefe 
 exercifes and manifeftations, there is greater 
 beauty, than in all created virtue together. And 
 as there is a beauty in the exercifes and difplays 
 of the divine perfections, infinitely fuperior to 
 ail created excellency and beauty there is, alfo, 
 
 proportionably 
 
CHAP. 
 
 proportionably greater felicity in the divine mine/, 
 in thefe exercifes, than can polfibly exift in all 
 creatures. Confequently, it is, in itfelf, tie 
 moft definable thing that can be conceived, that 
 God fnould exercife and difplay his own glorious 
 • perfections. Every thing which is either defina¬ 
 ble, or beautiful, in creatures, is found in an in¬ 
 finitely higher degree in the exercifes of the in¬ 
 herent perfections of the divine Mind. And, 
 thefe exercifes are naturally accompanied with 
 infinitely greater good, than the united exercifes 
 of all created power and virtue together. To fay 
 that the beauty and worth of the exercifes of God’s 
 perfections, confiit principally in the virtue and 
 happinefs which they produce in creatures, is to 
 make the virtue and happinefs of God, himfelf, 
 of lefs worth and importance than thole of his 
 creatures. And, this is the fame as to fay that 
 finite virtue and happinefs, are of more worth 
 than infinite. 
 
 The ejfiefils of the exercife and difplay of God’s 
 perfections; are the virtue and happinefs of crea¬ 
 tures. But if the virtue and happinefs of crea¬ 
 tures, are of real' worth ; that fame kind of vir ¬ 
 tue and happinefs exifting in an infinitely higher 
 degree, in the Creator, is infinitely more fo. 
 And, therefore, the exercife and manifestation of 
 the divine perfections is an objeCt, in itfelf con- 
 fidered, of infinitely greater importance than the 
 good of the creature. 
 
 Though the created beauty and good which 
 are the natural effeCts of the exercife and mani- 
 feltation of the divine perfections, mull of necef- 
 fity be confidered as connected with thefe mani- 
 ieftations: The objeCts, neverthelefs, are two; 
 and, capable of an entirely diftinCt confideration. 
 
 And, 
 
CHAP, h 
 
 S 
 
 And, as they are capable of being diftinClly and 
 feparately confidered, the virtue and good of the 
 creature, mu ft be confidered only as the ftream' 
 to the fountain, when compared with the virtue 
 and happinefs of God. And, confequently, the 
 the good of the creature, confidered as an objedl 
 in and of itfelf, could no more give fpring to the 
 divine perfections, and put them into exercife ; 
 than the ftream which proceeds from the foun¬ 
 tain, could put the fountain itfelf into motion, 
 and caufe it to overflow. 
 
 As, therefore, there could be no other, or 
 higher end of creation, than a manifeftation of 
 the true and proper character, the real perfecti¬ 
 on of God, we may fafely conclude that this was 
 the chief and primary End which God had in 
 view, irt creating the world : And, that the eaui'e 
 and reafon of creation is to be fought no where 
 
 but in the divine mind itfelf-in the real, ef- 
 
 fential perfection of God. 
 
 It being evident, then, that a manifeftation of 
 his own true and proper, character, was the chief 
 and ultimate End which God had in view, in 
 creation ; thefe feveral confequences will natu¬ 
 rally follow from it, viz. 
 
 i. That, all God’s government will be cal¬ 
 culated, in the bcft manner, to difcovcr to his 
 creatures, his own true character f and, exhibit a 
 genuine picture of it to the world. That this is, 
 and ever will be,, the cafe, may certainly be con¬ 
 cluded from the unchangeable- nature of God. 
 God’s works will all be carried on with the fame 
 defign with which they were originally begum 
 Its purpofes are all connected, uniform, and har¬ 
 monious. With Him there is no variableness, 
 
 nor 
 
CHAP. I. 
 
 / 
 
 / / 
 
 nor even fhadow of turning. As he gave/ 
 birth to creation with a view to difplay the 
 excellencies of his own glorious character ; with 
 the fame view, and for the fame deferable enct 
 lie continues, preferves and governs the world. 
 For his pleafure they now are, as well as original}-* 
 ]y were created. All that God Jays , and all that 
 he does, have one uniform and glorious objeft in 
 view. Andj his government is as true a picture 
 of his character, as his moral laiv> which is fre - 1 
 quently and juftlv {tiled a tranfeript of the divine 
 perfeftions. Accordingly, we may forever ex- 
 peft to fee his mind written, and his char after as 
 indubitably expreffed, in what he does, as in 
 what he fays —in the government which he cxv 
 ercifes, as in the law which he has given. For, 
 with the fame uniform defign he creates, gives 
 law, and adminifters government. 
 
 The fame glorious defign which is exp re {Ted in 
 creation, -will be invariably expreffed in prefer- 
 vation : For, in ftriftnefs of fpeech, prefervation 
 is no more than creation continued. What gave 
 birth to the exiflence of creatures, will direft in 
 the government over them. And fhould we en¬ 
 tertain a thought that God’s moral government 
 will not be eternally adminiftgred in fuch a man¬ 
 ner as to exprefs,. to the beft advantage, his true 
 charafter ; we muft at once admit, either that he 
 has changed his original fcheme, or that the go¬ 
 vernment of fo vaft and complicated a fyftem is 
 become too unwieldy for its great and original 
 Creator: Either of which fuppofitions is atheifti- 
 cal and abfurd. 
 
 2. From the preceding obfervations it will 
 follow that the good of the creature , in itfelf con- 
 fidered, was not the chief and principal end of 
 C creation. 
 
CHAP. J. 
 
 S 
 
 creation. However elofely a manifejlation of the 
 divine perfection and the good of the creature may 
 be connected together: they are ftill capable 
 of being viewed as diftinct objeds, in many re- 
 fpects infinitely diverfe from each other. Though 
 it be readily granted that God’s ends are anfwer- 
 cd in the good of the creature ; neverthelefs, the 
 defigns and purposes of God, and that wherein 
 thefe purpofes and defigns are accomplifbed, are 
 as perfectly two, as any different objeds whate¬ 
 ver. A parent’s whole pleafure may be in the 
 good of the child : neverthelefs, the parent's 
 pleafure and the child's good , are two objedts, ca¬ 
 pable of entirely diftind: and feparate confidera- 
 tion. And however clolei-y they may be con¬ 
 nected together, the very fuppofition of their 
 connection implies that they are two ; and there¬ 
 fore, capable of being feparately confidered. 
 So, however clofely the 'glory of God, or a ma- 
 nifeftation of his true and proper charader, and 
 the good of the creature , may be conneded toge¬ 
 ther ; the objeds are, neverthelefs, in nature 
 really two; and entirely capable of diftind: con¬ 
 sideration. And, if in nature two , one may have 
 a primary and original influence in the divine 
 works, rather than the other. Put, the more im¬ 
 portant one, or that in which there is the greateff 
 degree of weight, excellency 1 , and worth, every 
 thing concurs to prove would indeed be the ob- 
 jed of chief conhderation. As much more beau¬ 
 ty and worth, therefore, as there are in the real 
 cxercifes and difplays of the divine perfedions and 
 character, than in the created fruits of them in 
 creatures ; (however dole and infeparable the 
 connection may be between thefe different objeCts) 
 fo much more is the former an original and chief 
 End of God in creation, than the latter . 
 
 3 - It 
 
CHAP. I. 
 
 9 
 
 3. It follows, from what has been faid, that 
 God will take effe&ual care, that in all his admi- 
 niftration, the majefty, the fuperior dignity of 
 his own infinitely excellent character, fiiall bq 
 fully and perfectly preferved. Since God made( 
 the world for the fake of difplaying his own truq 
 chara6ler, we may reft allured that he will take 
 effedtual care that the glory and dignity of it be 
 effedtually preferved in the view of all his crea¬ 
 tures. Nothing will ever take place in the divine 
 government that will have a tendency finally to 
 fink the character of God, in the view of hts crea¬ 
 tures : But, on the other hand, in his progrefiive 
 adminiftration, it will continually rife higher and 
 higher, appear more and more refpedtable, and 
 be cloathed with greater majefty and glory. Eve¬ 
 ry part cf the divine conduft will certainly be 
 fuch as to demand the higheft veneration and 
 efteem, and tend in the view of all intelligent 
 cies, to increafe that infinite diftance which really 
 fubfifts between him and all created beings. 
 
 No part of the divine condudt will ever be 
 fuch as naturally tends to reprefent in a diminu¬ 
 tive light, his hatred of all oppofition to the good 
 for which he made the World, or his abhorrence 
 of rebellion and wickednefs. For this would not 
 exhibit his true character, but the reverfe; this 
 would not correfpond with his oracles, his verbal 
 declarations, but contradict them. We may 
 therefore certainly conclude, on the other hand, 
 that in God’s progrelfive dealings with his crea¬ 
 tures, that tranfcendentiy excellent and glorious 
 difpofition of the divine Mind, whereby he holds 
 all moral evil in the greateft poffible abhorrence, 
 •will be continually appearing in more lively and 
 glowing colours. 
 
 To 
 
IO 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 To fuppofe that this will certainly be the cafe, 
 is perfectly ccrrelpondent with what the holy 
 Scriptures teach us mui% originally have been the 
 clefign of God in giving exiftence to moral crea¬ 
 tures. While, on the other hand, fhould the 
 divine government, in its progreflive fteps, im- 
 prefs the minds of creatures, with no deeper and 
 more affecting fenfe of his infinite purity and ha¬ 
 tred of iniquity ; the whole moral character of 
 the great governor of the world muft, of neceffi- 
 ty, fuffer ; and appear not uniform, nor wholly 
 without defedh 
 
 CHAPTER II. . 
 
 An inquiry into the original ground of the r.ecejjity cf 
 an atonement , in order to the fcrgivenefs cfJin. 
 
 T H E original defig-n of God, in the creation 
 of the world, 'will naturally lead us to fup¬ 
 pofe that a difpcfition to exhihit his character in 
 its true colours, the caufe of his requiring 
 an atonement for fin, before he w'ould exercife 
 pardoning mercy. Since this was God’s original 
 End jn creation j this muft, alfo, be the govern¬ 
 ing principle in all his future adminiftration. Ot 
 courfe, therefore, the true reafon why God requir¬ 
 ed an atonement for fin was, that the real dijpofi- 
 Hon of his own infinite mind-, toward fuch an objedt, 
 might appear ; even though he pardoned and faved 
 the /inner. Could the character of God, the dil- 
 poution of the divine mind both toward holinefs 
 and fin, otherwife appear to equal advantage j 
 there is not the leaft reafon to imagine that he 
 would ever have required an atonement: Becaufe 
 God never will be at expence, where no advan¬ 
 tage is gained. But, to fay that this is the con- 
 
 fideration 
 
CHAP. II. 
 
 ic 
 
 fideration which originally made an atonement 
 neceflary ; is the fame as to fay that the necefiity 
 of it in order to a proper exercife of mercy, arbfe 
 from the very nature of the divine charafter, and 
 the efiential perfe&ion of God. For it is the 
 efiential perfeftion of the divine nature, and the 
 genuine character of God, that are to be difplay- 
 ed in all his works and government. 
 
 It is reafonable to fuppofe that God required an 
 atonement for fin, that his creatures might be 
 fenfible of the abhorrence he has of it, notwith- 
 ftanding the forgivenefs he is pleafed to exercife 
 toward the finner. The End which God had in 
 view, in the creation of the world, forbids the 
 exercife of mercy toward fmners, in fuch a way 
 as naturally tends to diminiih the ideas of their 
 infinite guilt and ill defert in his fight. As the 
 real averfion of the divine mind from fin is infi¬ 
 nite, it evidently became his character to adopt 
 fome meafures, in his providence, effe&ually to 
 convince his creatures that this averfion ftill fub- 
 fifts, in all its ftrength, even though he pardons 
 the finner. Otherwife, the character of God 
 would, of necefiity, be mifapprehended by his 
 creatures ; and the nature of his mercy be mifr 
 underftood. 
 
 We may confide ia it that nothing will ever 
 take place in the divine government, which will 
 tend to render the fpotlefs holinefs of God in the 
 lead: degree fufpicious } or reprefent him lefs an 
 enemy to fin, than a friend to virtue. And that, 
 in order to this, there was originally in the nature 
 of things, a necefiity of an atonement, before 
 mercy could be exercifed in the pardon of the 
 finner ; will appear from the following confidera- 
 tions, viz, 
 
12 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 I. Should God pardon abjolutely , or without 
 adopting meafures, at the fame time, to convince 
 his creatures of his infinite hatred of iniquity ; 
 his regards to the good of the great community 
 over which he prefides, would neceffarily appear 
 to his creatures to be defective. 
 
 It iseffential to the goodnefs.of a Governor, or 
 King, to guard the rights, fecure the peace, and 
 promote the profperity of his fubjefts. No one 
 can be called a good Governor, who doth not 
 exercife his fupremacy and authority, in framing 
 and executing laws for the protection and fafety of 
 his fubjefts. It is as elfential to the. aharafter of 
 a good Ruler, to punifh vice, as tor reward vir¬ 
 tue; to avenge the wrongs of his fubjefts, as to 
 fecure their interefts : Yea, the former is elfential 
 to the latter-, fmce, only the fear of punifhment 
 reftrains wicked men from violence. Should a 
 ruler fuffer crimes to go unpunifhed; the laws, 
 however good and righteous in.themfelves, would 
 prelently lofe their authority ; and government 
 fall into contempt. Lav/s have no force, any 
 further than they are carried into execution; and 
 authority lofes its refpeft' whenever it ceafes to 
 beexercifed. Whenever the lupreme Magillrate 
 neglefts the execution of the laws, he lofes the 
 confidence of the people; and his regard to the 
 public welfare becomes fufpefted. No one can 
 confide in his public fpirit, when he fullers the 
 diflurbers of the peace to go unpunilhed : For 
 ideas of true regard to public good, as neceflari- 
 ly conned: punifhments with crimes, as rewards 
 with virtue. 
 
 The confidence of a community in the cha-r 
 rafter of a Governor, arifes, in a great meafure, 
 from the apprehenfions they have of his fincere, 
 
 benevolent 
 
CHAP. II, 
 
 n 
 
 benevolent regards to the general good. And 
 they can no further confide in his regards to the 
 public good, than they believe him to be averfe 
 from every thing that injures the public. As, it 
 is impofiible that the love of virtue , in any being 
 whatever,, fhould exceed his hatred of vice; it is 
 impofllble for any one to give evidence of the 
 former when, the objedt being prefented, he 
 negledts exprefiing the latter , in ways becoming 
 his character. : . 
 
 Should God pardon the finner, without taking 
 effectual meafures to minifter convidtion of his 
 hatred of his fins ■, the evidence of his love to the 
 public good, would necefiarily be defedtive. 
 This, of courfe, would be a mode of adminiftra- 
 tion exceedingly inconfiftent with his original 
 defign in the creation and government of the 
 World. For, 
 
 II. If God fhould pardon fin without an atone¬ 
 ment, he could not be believed to hate iniquity. 
 
 The views which God has of the charadters of 
 his creatures, and. the affedtion of his mind re- 
 fpedting them, can' be no where fo clearly feeh, 
 as in the treatment he adtually gives them. God 
 is a fjpirit, invifible to men 5 and, cannot be 
 known intuitively by his creatures. We can fee 
 him only in Iris word and works; and, when we 
 confider him as the parent and fountain of all be¬ 
 ing and good; and, ourfelves as the mere crea¬ 
 tures of his power, moft abfolutely dependent on 
 him ; it will be'natural for us to fuppofe that his 
 ultimate treatment of us affords the befl rule 
 whereby we may judge of the light in which 
 he views our characters ; and of the difpofition 
 he entertains towards us. And though words 
 
 are 
 
14 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 are fignificant, they are yet let's fo than aEHons. 
 *Tis a common, and a juft o'bfervation, that 
 aftions fpeak louder than words : Yea, a maxim 
 ©n which we fo firmly rely, that we give the whole 
 Weight to the former, when they contradict the 
 latter. All agree that the mind and will of God 
 tnay be intelligibly exprefied in words. Yet, no 
 One will deny that they- may be written in much 
 deeper and more legible characters, in the fenfi- 
 ble pleafures and pains which he may beftow,-or 
 infliCt upon us. Therefore, the evidence of 
 God’s love of virtue, and his hatred 6f vice, muft 
 ultimately be derived from the treatment he gives 
 his creatures. In this we ultimately and mod fen- 
 fibly, difcover his view of the characters of his 
 creatures, arid the eftimation in which he holds 
 them : And, in this we mod clearly difcover the 
 feelings of the divine mind toward virtue and 
 vice. 
 
 If the views which the fupreme Being enter¬ 
 tains- of chafcciers, and the feelings of his mind 
 towards thofc who fuftain them, are mod clearly 
 diftovered in the treatment of his creatures; in 
 the natural good and evil he ultimately brings up¬ 
 on them : Then, of courfe, where the treatment 
 is the fame, we are to judge that the feelings, the 
 difpofition, of. the divine mind toward the ob¬ 
 jects, are alio the fame: What but this can be 
 the rule of our judgment ? It God’s treatment 
 be the belt and ultimate rule of judging; then, 
 fimilar treatment authorifes us to believe that 
 he holds all the fubjeCts of it in equal eftimation; 
 and is equally pleated, or difplealed, with one, 
 as with another. If Godthould treat the virtuous 
 and vicious alike, from whence could we infer 
 his approbation of the former, or his abhorrence 
 of the latter ? If his treatment of them, in his 
 
 government 
 
chap. ir. 
 
 government be the fame; then, either his govern¬ 
 ment fails of exprefling his proper.character, or 
 his chrafter is not uniform and perfeft. And, i£ 
 God’s actions and conduct toward his creatures, do 
 not truly exprefs his character, his mind and will, 
 how fliall we know that his word does ? And by 
 what methods can we ever come to the knowledge 
 of the divine character ? 
 
 Further 3 if the treatment God gives his crea¬ 
 tures, in his providence, the natural good and 
 evil he confers upon them, be ultimately ■ a c.er- * 
 tain rule whereby to judge of^iis difpofition to¬ 
 wards them and the views he has of their charac¬ 
 ters ; the confequence will be, that we cannot infer 
 difference of character in the lubjefts, from the 
 ■different treatment they receive at the hand of God. 
 
 And, if this be the cafe, then natural evil will, 
 in no cafe whatever, be a proof of God’s dif- 
 pleafure, anymore than natural good, a proof of 
 his approbation and favour. And thus fliall 
 we be left perfeftly in the dark, as to the divine 
 character 3 having no fure interpreter of the will 
 of God, either in his word, or in his providence. 
 
 But, if the natural good and evil which God 
 ultimately confers on his creatures, be a certain 
 rule whereby we may judge of the views which he 
 entertains of their characters ; it would be incon- 
 fiftent to fuppofe that he fhould ever pardon a 
 knner, without any atonement; or without ta¬ 
 king fome effeftual methods, in his providence* 
 to difcover his infinite hatred of their characters 
 and aftions. If the providences of God are ex- 
 preflions of his own character,. it is inconceivable 
 that he fhould not in fome way or other, in 
 his providence, exprefs the views and feelings of 
 D his 
 
CHAP. II, 
 
 li 
 
 his mind toward the characters and conduct of 
 fmners. But, if the natural good and evil that 
 are ultimately, and on the whole, brought on 
 creatures, are fure and certain indications of the 
 divine difpofttion toward them ; then, the abhor¬ 
 rence in which God holds the charaters of fin- 
 ners, mud of neceiiity be exprefled in fome other 
 way, than in evil finally brought upon the tinner 
 himfelf; in order that it may be confident with 
 his falvation and wit'll the End of God in the cre¬ 
 ation of the world, and the invariable rule of his 
 providence, whereby be expreffes his own charac¬ 
 ter to the views of his creatures. For, unlefs this 
 fhouid be done, the pardon and falvation of a {in¬ 
 ner, leave us to an utter uncertainty with refpeft 
 to the divine character itfelf; whether God were 
 an hater of iniquity; and, of couri’e, whether 
 a lover of righteoufnefs. 
 
 If God fhouid pardon the finner, without ta¬ 
 king fome fufficient and effectual method, at the 
 fame time, to difeover his infinite hatred of ini¬ 
 quity; if he fhouid treat the clean and the un¬ 
 clean, the virtuous and vicious, alike ; we fhouid 
 have no means left whereby to determine that 
 he held their characters in any different eftimati- 
 on ; and, either approved, or difapproved the 
 one, more than the other. Therefore, fuch a 
 mode of providence would be inconfident 
 with the End which God had in view, both in the 
 creation and, government of the world; which 
 was to manifeft his own glory, and to difplay hrs 
 Own infinitely holy and virtuous character. 
 
 III. The government of God could not be 
 vctpeCdable, fhouid he pardon the finner, without 
 dilcovcring, at the fame, time his infinite hatred 
 
 of 
 
CHAP. II. if 
 
 of his fins ; and the perfect abhorrence he hath 
 of his character. 
 
 The fupreme Being cannot be regarded as a Gc^ 
 vernor, any further than he is believed to hate 
 iniquity. And he cannot be believed to hate in* 
 i-quity, when it actually takes place among his 
 creatures, any further than his hatred is, in fome ' 
 way or other, expreffed. But, if God, in his 
 providence, fhould treat the virtuous and the vi¬ 
 cious alike; making no difference between the- 
 clean and the unclean, the holy and the profane;’ 
 if:he fhould confer the fame good upon the one, 
 as upon the other, taking no meafures in hi im¬ 
 providence, to (how that he regarded the charac¬ 
 ter of the one, in any different light from'that of 
 the other: his government would, of necefhty,- 
 lofe its force, and be no reflraint upon his crea¬ 
 tures. * I , v ... S . 
 
 No one can refpefi a government which pro¬ 
 vides no punifhment for the wicked. And, what*- 
 ever punifhments be provided by law, if the exe¬ 
 cutive authority negledt the execution, the govern¬ 
 ment muff, of neceffity, fall info contempt. No 
 fooner, therefore, will God ceafe to difcover his 
 hatred of the rebellion and wickednefs of his crea¬ 
 tures, than he lofes his authority, and renders his 
 benevolence and good-will juftly fufpicious. Btitif 
 the treatment God gives his creatures, in the good 
 and the evil he confers upon them, be fure indi¬ 
 cations of the views he entertains of their characters; 
 for him to pardon the finner without an atone¬ 
 ment, or without taking fome effectual meafures 
 to difcover his hatred of his fins; muft neceffari- 
 ly injure his character, weaken his authority, and 
 bring his government into contempt. 
 
 IV. 
 
28 
 
 1 CHAP. 
 
 IV!. For God to pardon the Tinner without 
 an atonement, would be inconfiftent with the true 
 fpirit and import of his holy law. 
 
 If God’s written law exprefteth his true charac¬ 
 ter, and is a genuine tranfeript of his moral per¬ 
 fection ; we may conhde in it that his whole go¬ 
 vernment will be admimftered in perfect confor¬ 
 mity to it. The government of God can no more 
 vary .from the true import of the law, than God 
 can vary from himfelf. If the moral law expref- 
 fes the true chara&er of God, his moral govern^ 
 meat will expreis the fame, and will therefore 
 he perfectly of a piece with the law. 
 
 Respecting the written moral-law, we are to 
 note the following things, viz. 
 
 1. That it abounds with pains and penalties, 
 and thofe too of a very awful nature ; threat- 
 ning. death, even., eternal. deftrudion, for every 
 tranfgreflion. It curfeth every .one who contmueth 
 not in all things which are written in the book of 
 the law to do them.f It makes no provision for, 
 pardon, and gives not the lead hope of mercy, in 
 any C/^fe, or pn any condition whatever: But moll ex¬ 
 plicitly and unconditionally condemns every tranf- 
 grcflbr, without one exception, to everlairing mi- 
 fery, That this is the unequivocal language of 
 the law ; , it is prefumed no one will deny. ‘This is 
 thp law which exprefleth the true character of 
 God y \yhich is a tranfeript of hiseffential moral 
 peffedh9.11. This is a law which exprefies tlic mi-nd 
 ail'd'will of God, the very feelings of his heart. 
 
 2 . - The penalties, pr fafldticns c£ the; law, ex- 
 prefsTn-acceding high degree of righteous an¬ 
 ger and indignation, in the divine - mind, agaififl 
 the fmner. They exprefs in words that fame dif- 
 
 pleafure 
 
 Cslai. 3. ic. 
 
CHAP. L 
 
 * 9 . 
 
 pleafure which will appear - m : egiSi& hi 'the eter¬ 
 nal torments of Tinners. When God gfhia.lr- 
 ly ihfli'fts eternal torments on tire finner, he will 
 no more than apt- out the fame -chfpofirion, or 
 c_haradcex, which is expreffed in; words in the 
 threatnings of the- law. 
 
 If the threatnings of the law do not. exprefs 
 divine anger, it is irnpofuble for words to do it. 
 If thefe do not paint difpieafure, it is not in die 
 power of language to paint it. If die language of 
 the divine law is equivocal, the providences of 
 God may be equally fo : And all thofe dreadful 
 punishments which will hereafter' be indifted on 
 his enemies, will not afford unequivocal evidence 
 of the teal indignation of God. , For eternal tor¬ 
 ments indifled oil finders, by the great Governor 
 of the world, exprefs nothing in adlion, hut what 
 the threatnings’ of the law exprefs in words. 
 
 3. .W2 are to note that the principal impor¬ 
 tance of the '-penaltyi ' as well as' of the precepts of 
 the law, confifts in its expreffmg the real cha- 
 cafter- of God. Wharf above every thing elfej 
 makes the penalties of the law necellary and im¬ 
 portant, is, that they exprefs the purity of the 
 divine mind, and his unalterable and infinite 
 averfion from all iniquity. This is the grand 
 confideration which makes punifliments necelfary 
 hi the divine government. The mifery of a 
 creature, merely in itfelf, anfwers no valuable end: 
 And were it not a glafs in which God’s infinite 
 hatred of fin is feen, it never would be inflidled* 
 As the great End of God in all his other works, 
 is to manifeft his own excellent character; fo it 
 is in inflating punifhmehtsupon offenders. And 
 110 further than punifiimerits anlw.er the end of 
 exhibiting a difpofition that really hath exiftence 
 in the divine mind, will they ever be infli&ed. 
 
 Now 
 
CHAP. II. 
 
 20' 
 
 Now if it be true that the law reprefcnts the 
 Governor of the world as being indeed angry, 
 and that in a very high degree with the finner ; 
 it is eafy to fee that his government would not 
 correlpond with it, fhould he pardon the tranf- 
 grefifor without exhibiting at the fame time, in a 
 knfible manner, his righteous anger againft him 
 for his fins. A method of adminifiration which 
 exhibits anger againjl Jin f is direCtly counter to 
 that which doth not exhibit anger againjl it. If, 
 therefore, the divine law denounces curfes againft 
 thq finner ; and as far as words can do it, exhibits 
 divine anger againft him 5 it is manifeft that the 
 fofgivenefs of the finner, without teftifying, at 
 the fame time, in fome proper and convincing 
 way, an abhorrence of his character and wiclced- 
 nefs,- would counteract both the letter and the' 
 manifeft import of the divine law Urilefs par¬ 
 doning and fttnijhing , doing good and doing evil 
 to the creature, naturally exprefs one and the 
 fame view of his character and defertsand the 
 fame degree of pleafednefs or difpleafednefs with 
 him. It is hence evident, that it could not-, have 
 been confident with that character of God which 
 is exhibited in the law, to pardon-the finner with¬ 
 out an atonement; unlefs dfregarding crimes and 
 punijhing them, treating the fame perfons, and 
 that too under the fame circumftances, as friends 
 Or as enemies , uniformly exhibit one and the fame 
 excellent character. 
 
 When God has devifed a courfe in his pr’ovi-. 
 dence, wherein he exhibits fenfible conviction of 
 his hatred of iniquity; the pardon of the finner 
 cannot counteract the fpirit of that law which ex¬ 
 hibits the fame difpofition, in the divine mind, 
 towards the offender : Efpecially when the great 
 
CHAP. I: ai 
 
 end and excellency of the law confifts in its mak¬ 
 ing a true exhibition of the divine moral cha¬ 
 rader ; and this is the great confideration which 
 makes it important that .government fhould be 
 adminidered in conformity to the law- In what¬ 
 ever cov.rfe an uniformity of charader with what 
 originally appears in the law, is preferved in ad- 
 minidration, the ends of divine government are 
 anfwered, and the honour of the lawgiver fecured. 
 ■But unlefs difpenfmg rewards and punifhments 
 indifcriminately to th tgood and to the bad , naturally 
 exhibits the fame character, and pidures the fame 
 difpofition which appears in the promijes and in 
 the threatnings of the law it mud of neceflity be 
 inconfiftent with the law, to pardon the finner 
 without an atonement; or without minidering, 
 at the fame time, eftedual convidion of God’s 
 ’infinite hatred of his fins. 
 
 If it be not necellary to the honour of the di¬ 
 vine charader and government, that God fhould 
 exhibit his wrath in fome fenfible fruits againd 
 finners, it is not necedary that he fhould threa¬ 
 ten it. Nothing need be threatened in the law, 
 which is not necedary to be exhibited in govern¬ 
 ment. Uniformity, of charader cannot require 
 that anger fhould be expreded in words , where 
 there is no neceffity of exhibiting it in fruits in 
 government. For in cafes wherein it is not necef- 
 fary to the honour of the divine charader, to 
 witnefs anger by fenfible fruits, it cannot be 
 that anger fhould exid in the divine mind. And 
 to fuppofe that God threatens his creatures with 
 his anger, in cafes wherein he hath in reality no 
 anger againft them ; at once denies the moral law 
 to be an expreldon of the mind and will of God— 
 a tranfcript of his moral perfedion. But it is 
 
 obvious, 
 
* *1 
 
 CHAP. IT. 
 
 obvious, at fir it vie’w, that the z& of pardoning, 
 that is, faring a perfon, and receiving him to 
 the enjoyment of the ever I ailing favour of God, 
 doth not in itfelf difcover any anger or wrath : 
 Confequentiy, confidently with the moral law, 
 this never can be done without God’s exhibiting 
 bis anger againH the {Inner, in {Inflate fruits, in 
 fame other way. 
 
 Further ; for God to fave Tinners of mankind 
 without an atonement, would iuppofe the law 
 and the gsjpel to fpeak a different language, and 
 exhibit characters exceedingly diverfe, one from 
 the other. It would make the former breathe 
 nothing but indignation, where the latter fpeaks 
 nothing hut peace, comfort and good. And 
 therefore, on this fuppofition, the goipel, in dead 
 of eflablifhing, would make void the law. 
 
 It hence appears to be as- eiTential to the ho- 
 UO-ur of the divine government, and.to an unifor¬ 
 mity of eh reader in God, that he fhould exhibit 
 anger in ienflbje fruits againff fin, in every in- 
 ftance wherein. it takes place; as that, in fenfiblc. 
 fruits, he lliould exhibit his approbation of righte- 
 oufaefs. God hath as real difpleafure again ft Tin¬ 
 ners, as he hath.approbation of the righteous : The 
 former is as e Ten tial to the perfection and glory 
 of the divine character, as the latter. That the 
 ■government of God, therefore, may exprefs his re¬ 
 al character,, and that, too, in the fame point of 
 light in which it is exhibited in the law; it is as 
 neceilknr that he fiiould exprefs anger againft the 
 firmer, in his- adminiftration of government, as 
 approbation of the righteous. 
 
 Therefore is it neeeffary, in order to a con¬ 
 fident cxercife of mercy, that the honour of the 
 
 law 
 
CHAP. II. 
 
 23 
 
 law Ihould be maintained : and that the govern¬ 
 ment of God, in every inftance, Ihould be ex- 
 preffive of the fame difpofition which the law, ta¬ 
 ken in all its parts, naturally exhibits. It is necef- 
 fary that the fupreme Ruler of the univerfe fhould 
 appear, in his adminiflration, equally to refpedt 
 the penal as the preceptive putts of his law; and, 
 pay as much regard to the threatnings of punifh- 
 merif , as to the promifes of reward. And in what¬ 
 ever way this is done, in God’s condudt toward 
 his creatures, the ends of divine government are 
 anfwered ; and, all the good effected which na¬ 
 turally flow from a difplay of his true and proper 
 character. 
 
 The penalties of the law, we are to remember, 
 exp refs the' difpleafure of the lawgiver in the pain 
 and fujfermgs of the tranfgrsjfor. But however 
 clofely and infeparably thefe two objedts may be 
 connedted together ; they are yet really two, and 
 capable of an entirely diftindt and feparate confl- 
 deration. And, as thefe objedts are two , they 
 are in themfelves confidered, of very different 
 importance ; and of courfe, the penalties of the 
 law mull be of infinitely greater importance as 
 being expreffive of God’s righteous difpleafure a - 
 gainft fin> than as bringing pain and torment on 
 the /inner. Accordingly, the great ends of 
 di vine government, which are to make a true 
 and proper exhibition of the divine charadter, 
 cannot be anfwered, whatever be the fate of the 
 finner, without convincing teftimonies to the 
 world, of God’s infinite purity and hatred of ini¬ 
 quity. The clearer views we have of the importance 
 of the divine charadter, and of the original deflgns 
 of the fupreme Being in the creation of the world; 
 the more fenfibly fhall we difeern the neceflity of 
 an atonement, in order to the exercife of pardon- 
 7 E ing 
 
24 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 ing mercy •: An^, the more clearly fhall we dif- 
 cover the jnconfiftency of forgivenefs with the true 
 fpirit and import of the daw, .unlels full conviction 
 be exhibited, in the moral government of God, 
 oi his infinite hatred of iniquity. 
 
 From this view of the necefiity of an atone¬ 
 ment, in order to a confident exercife of mercv, 
 the following obfervations naturally flow, viz. 
 
 t. That the honour of the divine law, agree¬ 
 ably to the true tpirit and import of it, is fully 
 preferved in the government of God, when his 
 difpleafure againft fin is made to appear, to equal 
 advantage, as it doth in the execution of the pe¬ 
 nalties of the law; in 'whatever way it be done. 
 And it appears, on the other hand, that whatever 
 method of adminiftratibn would throw a veil o- 
 ver God’s hatred of iniquity, and render it more 
 obfeure to the views of creatures than it would be 
 in the execution of its penalties ; would difho- 
 nour the law' itfelf; and naturally tend to bring 
 if into contempt. The law is really honoured, 
 when that charadcr of God which is exhibitted in 
 the various parrs of it, is fupported and maintain¬ 
 ed in his government. Therefore, the penalty 
 of the law is 1 really anfwered, and its demands 
 fatrsfied, whenever God’s hatred of iniquity is as 
 clearly exhibited in ads of government, as it is 
 expreired in the language of the law, in whatever 
 way this be dct/c. The law of God is fatisfied and 
 its penalties anfwered in the final condemnation ofi 
 th'e fimier, only becaufe the true character of God 
 is'herein vifibly manifelled,' and his juft difplc-a- 
 lure againft .iniquity clearly dil'covered : At leaft, 
 this is the moft important and valuable end that 
 . is anfwered by the Tinner’s final deftrudion, Were 
 not this the cafe, the execution of punitive juftice 
 v, r ould not be to the glory of God ; becaufe it would 
 
 not 
 
CHAP. II. 25 
 
 not ferve to difplay the true beauties of his infi¬ 
 nitely excellent and glorious character. 
 
 That the moral character of God ftiould be 
 truly delineated in his government, is what is of 
 primary and principal importance;■ becaufej with 
 this is certainly connedted the order, the har¬ 
 mony, and the greateft good, of the umvcrfe. 
 The charadler of God being infinitely excellent 
 and in itfelf mold perfedtly harmonious; when it -is 
 truly delineated in his government, mud ofnecef- 
 fity be productive of the greateft good and har¬ 
 mony among his creatures. To manifeft the re¬ 
 al excellencies of the divine character, therefore, 
 it was that the law was originally given; and, for 
 the fame end was it eftabli filed- by fuch awful 
 fandlions. The honour of the law of courfe is 
 evidently maintained, and the ends of govern¬ 
 ment anfwered, when that charadler, with which 
 the fupreme Ruler invefts himfelf in the various 
 parts of his law, is exhibited and fupported in 
 adminiftration. So that whenever God’s juft and 
 real difpleafure againft fin, is exhibited in fome 
 other way, to equal advantage as it would be in 
 the final deftrudlion of the finner ; atonement is 
 then made for his fins, and a door opened for 
 the exercife of pardoning mercy. 
 
 1. It would be as inconfiftent with the de~ 
 fign of God, in the government of the world, to 
 fuffer the fins of his creatures to pafs unnoticed, 
 as their virtue to go unrewarded. The end of 
 God in his moral government,' as much requires 
 that he Ihould teftify his hatred of iniquity, as his 
 love of holinefs. And if the moral government 
 of God be defigned truly to delineate his charac¬ 
 ter; if we are here to expedt a fenfible difcovery 
 of the feelings, the difpofition, of his own infi¬ 
 nite mind, toward the feveral chandlers of his 
 
 ez creatures 
 
26 CHAP, 11 
 
 creatures ; it muft appear, every way, as inconfift- 
 ent for God to neglebt exprefllng his righteous 
 difpleafure againft vice-, as his approbation of 
 virtue: God’s hatred of the former, is as real 
 and immutable, as his love of the latter : That 
 mode of adminifcration, therefore, toward fm- 
 ners, which would not fenlibly delineate and ex- 
 prefs the former, would no more comport with 
 the character and defigns of God, than that which 
 fncuid leave the latter undifcovered. 
 
 If thefe things are fo, it will be as mconftft- 
 ent with the attributes of God, and the great end 
 which he hath in view in the government of the 
 world, to fuffer one fin to pal's without exprefling, 
 in fome convincing manner his hatred of it; as to 
 fuffer virtue to go unrewarded. Not only fo, but it 
 will, on thefe principles, be effential to the divine 
 glory, that the moral government of God fhould 
 be as full andfenfihle an expreffion of his abhorrence, 
 of every impure char after among his creatures, as 
 of his approbation of the condubt of all fuch as 
 never rebelled againft him. If the moral go¬ 
 vernment of God fhould not be adminiftered in 
 fuch a manner as fenfibly to exprefs this to the 
 views of his creatures; it would not exhibit his 
 true cha.rafter , the real and infinitely excellent 
 difpofition of his own holy mind. 
 
 3. It appears from what hath been already ob- 
 ferv.ed, that the atonement had a more immediate 
 and. direbt relation to the penal part of the divine 
 law. 
 
 It is unquefticnably true that Chrift'was fet 
 forth to be a propitiation to declare God’s righte- 
 cufnefs ; and the great ends of righteoufnefs required 
 that there fhould be an atonement for fin, in or¬ 
 der to prepare the way for its rCmifllon. But it 
 
CHAP. XL 
 
 27 
 
 is to be remembered, it was the righteou finds of 
 God as it related to the execution of threatened 
 and deferved pumfhrnent, that needed to be de¬ 
 clared, in order to the exercife of pardoning mer¬ 
 cy x and not as it related to the beftowment of 
 rewards :—Righteoulnefs, as it relpefted render¬ 
 ing vengeance to enemies ; not favour and pro¬ 
 tection to friends. God’s favour for the righte¬ 
 ous, and his approbation: of their chambers, 
 would not have been rendered fufpicious by a to¬ 
 tal negledt to execute punitive juft ice ;—unlefs, 
 indeed} his benevolent regards to their belt In- 
 t ere ft, and his diflinguifoing approbation of their 
 characters, fhould become fufpicious, by his ne- 
 gleCt to avenge them on their adverfaries. But 
 the very fuppofition of a poftibiiity that God’s 
 benevolent regards to the righteous, Ihould be 
 rendered doubtful by his negleCting to punifh the 1 
 wicked, ftrongly implies that it was the righte- 
 Gufnefs of God as it relates to the execution of pun- 
 ijhmsnt that needed to be declared y in order to the 
 pardon of the finner. 
 
 Had vengeance againft God’s enemies never 
 been displayed ; every filefiing which obedience, 
 could have merited, and which in that cafe could; 
 have been enjoyed, might neverthelefs be bellow¬ 
 ed. So that the Deity cbuld not jufifty have been 
 impeached as being deficient in his regards to the 
 righteous , had he pardoned fin without an atone-' 
 ment: For as far as righteoufnefs in a governor 
 relates to approving’ and rewarding the obedient ; 
 God might neverthelefs have appeared perfeftly 
 juft and righteous. . 
 
 IJ.L 
 
 But with refped to righteoufnejs as it relates to f 
 the execution of deferved puniihment, the cafe is; 
 far otherwife. In this regards when fin had actu¬ 
 ally 
 
CHAP. II. 
 
 ally taken place, the divine righteoufnefs needed 
 honour and vindication ; and neceffarily would 
 need them, until it were in feme fenfible manner 
 exhibited to the views of creatures. For the cha¬ 
 racter- of God could not fail of being reproached, 
 as deficient both in his regards to his own autho¬ 
 rity, and in making a diftin&ion between the 
 holy and the unclean, had he pardoned without 
 a vifible exhibition of his hatred of the iniquity 
 cf the firmer. And even the obedient part Of the 
 univerfe had no fmai'l intereft in a difplay of 
 righteoufnefs in this regard; as it could not fail 
 or contributing to their more fenfible fecurity un¬ 
 der the government of God, and their greater 
 and more refpeCtful reverence of his character. 
 
 So that whatever part of the univerfe were con¬ 
 cerned in the difplays of divine righteoufnefs, in 
 order to the remiffion of fin ; whether it were God 
 himfelf, and hi^ own infinitely excellent charac¬ 
 ter ; or the obedient and virtuous part of creati¬ 
 on ; Fill what more immediately and efpecially 
 concerned both, was, that righteoufnefs as it more 
 directly related to the penalties and fantiions of the 
 law, fhould be exhibited and made ienfibly to 
 appear. 
 
 If it fhould be urged that the righteoufnefs of 
 God in the molt large and general fenfe of the 
 term, might have been fufficien.tly difplayed by 
 fome lively exhibition of his regards to the pre¬ 
 ceptive parts of the law becaule the penal only 
 reprefent God’s love of righteoufnefs in general; 
 Fill this would be no argument that the atone¬ 
 ment did not more immediately refpeCt the penal 
 part of the divine law. For admitting the ulti¬ 
 mate ufe of penalties to be no more than to ex- 
 prefs God’s love of righteouihefs in general, or 
 
 even 
 
CHAP. II. 
 
 29 
 
 even his love of obedience ; ftill they cannot do 
 this, any further than they are regarded and have 
 refpecft paid to them in the adminiftration of go¬ 
 vernment. If the penalties of the law ihould not 
 be regarded in the government of God, they 
 could not ferve to illuftrate his love of obedience. 
 For the righteoufnefs of God, as it refpedts the 
 precepts of the law, is as evidently difcernible in 
 his regards to the penalties ; as his righteoufnefs 
 relative to the penalties is in his regards to the 
 precepts. The Governor of the world as flrongly 
 and fenfibly manifefts his love of obedience by 
 punifhing wickednefs , as his hatred of iniquity by 
 rewarding virtue. And fince in the divine view 
 the precepts and the penalties of the law are both 
 neceffary in order to a clear and full aifcovery of 
 the character and glory of God; it is neceffary 
 that both be equally regarded in the adminiftrati¬ 
 on of government. So that in whatever light we 
 view the matter, it muft appear of equal impor¬ 
 tance that God fhould manifeft his refpetfts to the 
 penalties of the law by a di/play of anger ; is to the 
 precepts by approbation. And fince both parts of 
 the lav/ are effential to its authority, and to the 
 glory and honour of its giver; it is alio neceffary 
 that the government of God fhould appear to cor¬ 
 respond with both ; and equally neceffary that he 
 fhould difplay vengeance as beftow rewards. 
 Therefore is it manifeft that the divine righteouf¬ 
 nefs, particularly as it relates to the execution of 
 vengeance, was what peculiarly needed to be ho¬ 
 noured, in order to a confiftent and juftifiable 
 exercife of mercy toward finners. 
 
 4. As far as God’s love of righteoufnefs and ha¬ 
 tred of iniquity can be Separately viewed and diftin- 
 guifhed from each other ; the great end of the 
 
 death 
 
jo chap. rr. 
 
 death of Chriff was to exhibit the latter , not the 
 former. '■ i 
 
 «r 
 
 . The diipofidoa of the divine mind is perfectly 
 uniform and harmonious. There is nothing in 
 God, or in the difpofition of his mind, but bene¬ 
 volence and love. Yet general goodnefs operates 
 in a different manner toward different objedts ; 
 and obtains different epithets, according to thefe 
 feverallv different operations. Should we, for 
 Inffcar.ee, conceive no different ideas of divine 
 jujike from thole which we entertain of divine 
 mercy ; it is evident we fhould have no proper 
 and adequate conceptions of either. Or fhould 
 we form no different ideas or God’s love of virtue , 
 and of hrs hatred of vice ; it,is manifeff that w r e 
 fhould view; him. as being indifferent to virtue and 
 vice. Yet the very different ways in which 
 God’s lave of virtue and his hatred of vice exprefs 
 themfelves in fruits * and the extremely different 
 effedfcs they produce in the iubjedls on whom they 
 are feverally difplayed, naturally lead us to view 
 them as, in fome refpeds, exceedingly different 
 from each other: And that however obvioufly 
 they discover, in- their ieveral operations, beauti¬ 
 ful harmony and uniformity in the difpofition of 
 the divine mind. 
 
 Seeing therefore the exiftence of moral evil 
 naturally furnifhed occafion for a difplay of God’s 
 hatred of iniquity \ and evidently called for it; this 
 ’wouidJead us to view the death of Chrift as be¬ 
 ing deftgned more immediately and diredlly to 
 make a vifible difeovery of the anger of God 
 againft fin. 
 
 Th erefore, we may reafonably fuppofe, it is 
 that the people of Chriff are i'o often fpoken of as 
 being redeemed by his blood as though his life 
 
 went 
 
CHAP. II, 
 
 3 * 
 
 went for theirs. The fcriptures reprefent the 
 church of God as being purchafed with his own 
 blood 1 —redeemed through the blood of Chrifi *—-* 
 made nigh by his bloody &c. So the blood of his 
 crofs is that by which he is faid to make -peace .* 
 And the church above is reprefented as celebra¬ 
 ting Chrift for his worthinefs to open the book, 
 and difclofe the future ftate of the church and 
 world, becaufe he was (lain and had redeemed 
 her to God by his blood . 5 In this view of the 
 matter the Apoftle aiferts that without Jhedding of 
 blood there is no remiffion. 6 The reafon why fo 
 much efficacy is aferibed to blood evidently is, that 
 it is the life. 7 And therefore it is that the blood 
 makes atonement. 8 
 
 Taking away the life is the moft (hong and 
 fenfibie expreffidn of difpleafurc that is ever vifi- 
 ble to us. That difpleafure which puts a period 
 to the life, we view as of the higheft kind. 
 Therefore doth the death of Chrift more diredlly 
 exhibit the anger of God than his love : As that 
 affe&ion of the divine mind which is termed anger 
 dpecially needed to be exhibited in order to a 
 proper exercife of mercy. Virtue and goodnefs 
 in the creature, furniffi occafion for the exercife: 
 and manifeftadon of complacency and love j 
 but vice for the difplay of anger. And had the 
 occafton for the latter been omitted by the great 
 Governor of the world, when rebellion had a£tu- 
 ally taken place, we cannot conceive how it 
 would have been for the glory of God to pardon 
 the finner, or how he could have been juft in 
 juftifying the ungodly. 
 
 F ...v. *■ 
 
 1 AilSj 20. 28. 1 Epbef. 1. 7. 3 chap. 2.13, 4 Coloffians,- 
 
 |. 20. s Rev. 5. 9. 6 Heb. 9. 22. 7 Gen , 9, 4, * Levity 
 
 17. 11, 
 
CHAP. II. 
 
 32 
 
 . 5. It appears from the nature of God’s defigrr 
 in creation, and from the ground on which an 
 atonement became neceffary, that the great end 
 of the. coming and death of Chrift was not to give 
 evidence of the equity and righteoufnefs of the 
 moral law> but rather to exhibit in its proper co¬ 
 lours, the difpofition of the divine mind toward 
 us for breaking it. The rightecvfnefs of the law , 
 ' merely as a rule, and the dy■pcf.iton cf the divine 
 mind toward creatures who violate it; are diftinei 
 objeffs -which are to be feparately confidered. 
 The objedis are as perfectly different from each 
 other, as the divine Mind itfelf and any of thole 
 media or .objedts.through which it is feen. And 
 in regard of thefe two different objects, when 
 viewed in a feparate light, it is to be remembered 
 that, in real importance, the former is infinitely 
 exceeded fcy the tatter. However truly, therefore, 
 a teftimonv to the righteoufnefs of God’s law as 
 a rule cf life, might be contained in the defign 
 of the coming and death of Chrift ; a difeovery 
 of die divine difpofition toward men for violating 
 it, was what, neverthelefs, made an infinitely 
 greater part of tire defign of Chrilt’s work than 
 the other. - * . 
 
 -.-To fuppole ■ that' the principal defign of the 
 coming of Chrift, was to exhibit evidence to the 
 confidences of men, of tlte righteoufnefs and equi¬ 
 ty of the divine law, either, as a rule of govern¬ 
 ment for God, or of condujft for us ; for aught 
 W can fee, would be rather a reproach,. than an 
 honour to the divine charatfter. For this would 
 fuppofe that the law of God, though originally 
 infgribed in the fulleft manner that it could be on 
 the hearts of men, was neverthelefs of fuch a na¬ 
 ture and extent that the creature could fee neither 
 the propriety of God s governing by it, nor the 
 
 reafon 
 
CHAP. II; 
 
 ii 
 
 reafon of his own obligation to obey it: And 
 therefore, that the law of God was not originally 
 fitted to difcover the true beauties of the diviner 
 character. ’ 
 
 No rule cr law can be good, which is either. 
 above the- natural abilities and power, or not 
 fuited to the fituation .and circumftances of the 
 creatures who are placed under it. Such a law- 
 could not manifeft the excellency of the Creator 
 to the view of the creature. For thefe reafons it 
 mull be unfuitable, both as a rule of government 
 for the former and of conduct for the latter. 
 Both thefe confiderations lead us to conclude that 
 no defeats of this kind could be originally attribu¬ 
 ted to the divine law. But if the moral lav/ is in 
 its own nature fit to be regarded by the fupreme 
 Being as a rule of government over his creatures j 
 and by men as a rule of their own conduct ; and 
 in this way calculated to exhibit to the views of 
 creatures the real excellencies of the divine cha- 
 rafter ; it mull be unqueftionably true that man, 
 in his original ftate, was fully capable of feeing 
 the law to be wholly equitable and righteous.. 
 And if men were originally capable of this, it 
 now requires, and never did, or will, require any. 
 thing more than candour of mind, to enable any 
 one to difcover it. 
 
 These things being fo, it is eafy to fee that 
 eonvi&ion of the righteoufnefs of the law might 
 be wrought in the conferences of men, in a way' 
 infinitely lefs expeniive than by the coming and 
 death of the Son of God : Yea, were there .no 
 other ground of convidVion in the cafe, this re¬ 
 markable event v/ould be far from affording it. 
 For fo long as we judge a rule itfeif to be bad , no 
 
 conduct 
 
J4 
 
 CHAP. IT. 
 
 zcndu£1 of any one formed upon if, will make u. 
 believe it to be good. While we difpute the righ¬ 
 teoufnefs of the rule given, we difpute the righ- 
 teoufnefs of him who gave it. And in that cafe, 
 his obeying it himtelf will no more convince us of 
 its equity, than his adminiftring government over 
 us in conformity to it. We may iafely conclude, 
 therefore, that to minifter convidtion to the 
 eonfciences of men, of the righteoufnefs of the 
 moral law as a rule , was not the principal objedt 
 in view, in the coming and work of Chrift. 
 
 There needed no fuch evidence as the obedi¬ 
 ence and death of Chrift, of the righteoufnefs of 
 the moral law, either as a rule of government for 
 God, or of condudt for his creatures. But when 
 men had violated the law, there needed vifible de- 
 monftration of the exiftence of that difpleafure in 
 the divine mind, with which the finner is threaten¬ 
 ed, in order to convince the creature that the law 
 is indeed a tranfeript of the divine perfection j 
 and that it truly expreffeth the mind and will of 
 God. Otherwife the exercife of pardoning mer¬ 
 cy would render it doubtful whether the moral 
 law exprefied the divine character, and is really 
 in every -part equitable, even in the view of God. 
 The exercife of mercy, therefore, without a fen- 
 fible exhibition of that divine wrath which is 
 threatened in the law, would give abundant occa- 
 Jion to call in queftion the perfeCt real conformi¬ 
 ty of the divine will, to that moral law which he 
 has given us. This confequently could in no 
 wife be for the glory of God. Once more, 
 
 6. It appears from the preceding obfervations 
 that to revive natural religion, the knowledge of 
 which was nearly eradicaied from the human 
 mind, was far from being the principal objeft of 
 the coming and death of Chrift. 
 
 To 
 
CHAP. II. 
 
 35 
 
 To infcribe the original law of our nature on 
 the hearts of men, is every where in fcripture re-« 
 prefented as a work of God’s hyiy Spirit. And 
 this holy Spirit, in thefe operations on the minds 
 of men, we are taught to believe, proceeds from 
 the Father and the Son and is fent by the Father 
 the name of the Son.* It is a great and ineftima- 
 ble favour to have the holy Spirit fent inro the 
 hearts of men, to teach them and lead them into 
 the truth, and revive thole original notices of 
 God and duty, which have been nearly obliterated 
 from the human mind, by the fa]!. And if fuch 
 a favour as this could have been bellowed other- 
 wife than as the fruit of the atonement; every other 
 blelBng which is promifed in the gofpel, might 
 with equal propriety ; and lb finners of mankind 
 might have been faved without an atonement. 
 Had there been no necefflty that fomething fhould 
 be previouQy done to witnefs God’s irreconcilea- 
 ble averfion from fin, before fuch a favour could 
 be bellowed; the holy Spirit might have been 
 fent in his enlightening and fanftifying operati¬ 
 ons : And of courfe, all the valuable ends which 
 are now actually anfwered by the work of Chrift and 
 the cortfequent gifts of the Spirit, might have been 
 fully accomplished without his coming and death. 
 Tea, all thefe valuable ends might have been 
 brought about to much better advantage, and in 
 a way much more to the glory of the divine cha¬ 
 racter without than by the death of Chrift : Be- 
 caufe that way of bringing about any good which 
 is leaft expenfive or attended with the leaft evil and 
 fuffering ; is both moft advantageous to the crea¬ 
 ture, and honourable to the Creator . 
 
 That the great end of the coming and death 
 of Chrift was to revive the knowledge of natural 
 
 religion 
 
 • See John 14, 15, 16, i 2 , 23, 2 6| and, 15. 26. 
 
36- 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 religion among men, is a fuppofmon which, how¬ 
 ever it may connect the glory of God and the 
 good of the creature, yet evidently throws the 
 greater weight into the.fcale of human happi- 
 nefs: and is therefore inconfiftent with what hath 
 been fhown to be the End of God in the creati¬ 
 on of the world.- For it reprefents the recove¬ 
 ry of linnets as being in itjelf an object of 
 greater importance, than a vindication of the in¬ 
 jured honour of God: and implies, that, to fup- 
 port the dignity of the divine character as the 
 fupreme Ruler of the Univerfe, was a matter of 
 inferior confideration. 
 
 That the government of God may appear 
 refpedtabie, and worthy the high dignity of his 
 charader, it is not only neceflary that the great 
 Jaws of his kingdom be perfectly equitable and 
 juft ; but that the difpofition, the fpirit, of the 
 fupreme Governor appear perfectly to harmonize 
 with them. Otherwife the government of God 
 can no more be either honourable and glorious to 
 himfelf, orfafe and happy to his creatures, than 
 the heft civil lav/s and conftitution can, to a com¬ 
 munity, when they are negle&ed and overlooked 
 by the executive authority. 
 
 In order, therefore, to fupport the dignity of 
 the divine character as the fupreme Governor of 
 the world, it is exceedingly neceftary that plenary 
 evidence be exhibited to the univerfe, of a perfed 
 conformity of the divine Mind to the whole cf the 
 moral law, the ‘penal as well as the preceptive 
 parts of it. This, however, could not be done, 
 nor this difpofition be delineated in the divine'go- 
 venment , were mercy exercifed toward iinners ; 
 unlefs forne peculiar methods had been adopted in 
 
 divine 
 
CHAP. in. 
 
 37 
 
 divine providence, whereby God might fenfibly 
 exhibit his infinite hatred of iniquity : And that 
 too as a necefiaryftep toward the exercife of par¬ 
 doning mercy. 
 
 C H A P T E R III. 
 
 An inquiry into the deftgn 'and import, cf the bloody 
 Jacrifices required under the Mojaic djpenfiation. 
 
 I T is evident that jacrifices were of much earlier 
 date than the Mofaic lav/. -There is great 
 reafon to fuppofe that they were inftituted by God 
 himfelf, immediately after the fall^on his giving 
 the gracious promife that the feed of the woman 
 (hould bruife the ferpent’s head. Thefe feveral 
 things concur to lead us to fuppofe that they were 
 originally of divine inftitution, viz. 
 
 That facrifices were in actual ufe, from the 
 earlieft ages after the fall. We read that God 
 made coats of fkins, and cloathed Adam and 
 Eve,* who had made themfelves naked by their 
 fin. Now there is great reafon to fuppofe that 
 thefe fkins were fkins of beafts which were offered 
 in facrifice to God : And that as God intimated 
 defigns of mercy through Chrift, to the feed of the 
 woman, he alfo inftituted Jacrifices as a type of 
 the great facrifice which was, once for all, offer¬ 
 ed up to God by Chrift ; and by which fmners 
 have accefs to God. Accordingly we find that, 
 very foon, Abel brought of the firfilings of his 
 $ock, and of the fiat thereof,! and offered unto 
 God. As early alfo as the times of Noah we find 
 that the diftindtion of clean and unclean beafts, of 
 fuch as might and fuch as might not be offered to 
 God in facrifice, 
 
 • Gene/. 3, 21. f Gentf. 4. 4, 
 
CHAP. lit 
 
 3 * 
 
 facrifiee, was known ; which could not be 
 without a divine revelation. For when Noah 
 entered into the Ark he was commanded of every 
 clean be aft to take to himfelf by /evens. 1 And 
 when he came cut of the Ark, he builded an al¬ 
 tar unto the L-crd, and took of every clean beaft , 
 and of every clean fowl and offered burnt-often ings 
 on the altar : And the Lord fmelled a fweet fa¬ 
 vour. 1 On thde feveral accounts the few fol¬ 
 lowing things may be observed, viz. 
 
 i. That though it be not certain that thofe 
 beafls, the fkins of which Were taken to clothe 
 our fifft parents, were offered in facrifice to God j 
 it is yet elf ar that Abel offered the firftlings of his 
 flock in facrifice', becaufe the fat thereof^ which 
 was afterward, by divine appointment, peculiar<* 
 ly dedicated to God, was offered up. And we 
 find that in after ages, not only the fat of the 
 beaft that was offered, was particularly fet apart 
 for God, 3 but every fir ft ling of clean be efts-was 
 to be offered in facrifice to the Lord. Thus it 
 was injoiued on the children of Ifrael refpedfing 
 the nrftlings of cattle and fheep, that they fnouid 
 remain feven days with the dam ; and on the 
 eighth day fnouid be given to God. 4 God 
 claimed a peculiar right in all the firft-born : And 
 the firfllings of unclean beafts might be redeemed j 
 but the firiilings of a cow, or a fheep, or a goat, 
 might not ■ on any confideratlcn be redeemed ; 
 but muff be offered upon the altar, in facrifice to 
 God. 5 The facrificeitfelf and the conformity of 
 fo many of its circumffances to the rites which 
 were afterward exprefsly required by the levitical 
 law, give great reafon to fuppofe that Abel had 
 the authority of a divine mftitunen for the offer 
 ing which he made to God. For, 
 
 rfi 
 
 * Gene/. 7. 2. * Gene/. S. 20, 21. 3 Levitt 3. t6, 
 
 * E.xed. 22. 30. 5 Numb. 18. 17. 
 
CHAP. Ill 
 
 3 $ 
 
 i. There is not the leaf! reafon to fuppofe 
 that facrificing of beafts could have been accept¬ 
 able to God, unlefs it had been authorifed by a 
 divine appointment. It was not until after the 
 flood, that mankind had any right to make ufe of 
 the flefh of beafts for common food. Before this 
 God had given to man only the trees that bore 
 fruit, and the green herb, for meat. 6 But after 
 the flood, he enlarged the grant to Noah who 
 was eminently a type of Chrift; and faid, Every 
 tc moving thing that liveth {hall be meat for you; 
 <c even as the green herb have I given you all 
 t( things.” 7 Whence it appears that man's right 
 of dominion over the beafts, particularly to make 
 ufe of them for meat, is derived to him through 
 the covenant of grace. 
 
 And, when it is evident, from the holy fcrip- 
 tures, that it is only by Chrift that finners haveac- 
 cefs to God ; 8 and that'all thofe modes of 
 worflnip, and means of accefs to him, which are 
 only the fruits of human invention, are abomi¬ 
 nable in the fight of God ; 9 there is not the 
 lead reafon to fuppofe that it would ever have 
 entered into the mind of Abel to offer up a be aft 
 in facrifice to God ; or that he could have thought 
 that fuch an offering would be accepted, had he 
 been without the authority of divine inftitution. 
 And much lefs may we fuppofe, that had this 
 bodily exercife been a piece of willworjhip , the 
 mere fruit of his own invention, it would ever 
 have found acceptance with God. But, 
 
 3. As a further evidence that Abel had divine 
 authority for the facrifice which he offered to Gody 
 
 G we 
 
 6 Gene/. I. ig, 30. 7 Gcr.ef. g, 3. 8 See Rom, 5, 2. Rphef, 
 
 18. Atfs, 4, 12, 9 Ifa. 29. 13. Mark, 7. 7. 
 
4-0 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 we are exprefsly .told that he made his offering 
 by faith, and thereby obtained witnejs that he was 
 righteous, God testifying of his gifts. 0 His mak¬ 
 ing his offering by faith, implies that he believed 
 that he might approach his maker in this way : 
 For, as the apoftle prefently afferts, “ he that 
 “T cometh to God muff believe that he is, and that 
 fC he is a revvaruer of them that diligently feek 
 
 him. But it is manifeft that he could not have 
 .the lead: reafon from any conficleration whatever, 
 tor this belief, but what was derived from fome 
 divine intimation. Wherefore Abel’s faith by 
 which he made his offering, and God’s accept¬ 
 ance of it, andwitnefs that he was righteous, 
 are a furficient ftamp cf divine authority for his 
 ‘offering. Abel made his offering by faith, juft 
 in the fame fenfe as Mofes c< kept the paffover 
 t£ by faith, and the forinkling of blood 
 which had the exprefs authority of a divine in- 
 lutution. 
 
 But be this as it may, it is fuffciently clear 
 from the New Teftament, that the facrifices of 
 the Mofaic inlHtution were defigned to prefigure 
 the facrifice of C hr iff, that lamb of God which 
 taketh away tire fins of the world. This is fully 
 proved by the Apoffle, particularly in the ninth 
 chapter of his cpiffle to the Hebrews. We may 
 rationally expeef, therefore, to find the defign 
 and import of Jacrifices more fully explained, un¬ 
 der that difpenfation which was particularly in¬ 
 tended to prepare the way for the coming and 
 ■work of Chrift. 
 
 It appears that the facrifices of the levitical 
 'inffitution were of two forts •, and generally of a 
 
 double 
 
 Hth, 11. 4, 
 
 1 Heb. 11. 28. 
 
CHAP. III. 
 
 4V* 
 
 double import : One was as'an atonement for fin, 
 or a figurative way of expiating- crimes ; the 
 Other an exprefiion of the worfhip and homage 
 due from creatures to their Creator. And it was 
 by facrifices of the former kind, that men had 
 accefs to God for acceptance of the latter .A In 
 allufion to the legal facrifices in this latter fenfe, 
 all afls of divine worfhip are {tiled facrifices'. 
 Thus David faith, cc the facrifices. of.God are a 
 <c broken fpirit.’ >s And Paul befeeches chrifd- 
 ans, by the mercies of God, to prefent their bo¬ 
 dies a living facrificc, holy, acceptable to God. 4 
 But the import of facrifices in this regard, doth 
 not particularly concern our prefent inquiry. 
 As it was the bloody facrifices.for fin that typified 
 the facrifi.ee of Chrift, ■ what it efpeciaily concerns 
 us to underftand, is the. proper and true import¬ 
 er facrifices as they were uled, by divine appoints 
 ment, for making atonement for fin , or as a mean 
 of reconciliation. . . . : >■ 
 
 In regard of thefe facrifices , we find that it was 
 eftablifhed as an invariable and univerfai rule, 
 that whatever was taken, from the. herd, dr from 
 the dock, fhouid be brought to the door of the 
 tabernacle ; and there, the offender was today his. 
 hand on the head of the b.eaft which was-to be- 
 facrificed, and'kill it before .the. Lord.; and the. 
 priefts were to take of the blood, of the bead, and 
 fprinkle it round about upon the altar. Thus, as. 
 foon as the tabernacle v/as erefted in the wilder-, 
 rjefs, we are told that “ The LORD called ,unto 
 tc Mofes, and fpake Unto him out of the taberna- 
 ec cle of the., congregation, faying, fpeak unto 
 
 the 
 
 -See more particularly, Hti. io.-i. a. 3 Pfa., 51, 17. 
 
4- 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 fc the children of Iffael and fay unto them, if 
 sc any man of you bring an offering unto the 
 ■' Lord, ye fhall bring your offering of the cat- 
 e: tie, even of the herd, and of the hock. And 
 <e if his offering be a burnt facrifice of the herd, 
 <c let him offer a male without blemifh : he fhall 
 ec offer it of his own voluntary will, at the door 
 ec of the tabernacle cf the congregation before 
 tl the Lord. And he fa all put his band upon the 
 * e head of the burnt-offering: and it Jhall be ac- 
 ceftsdfor him to make atonement. And he fhall 
 t: kill the bullock before the Lord : And the 
 <( prieffs, Aaron’s Ions, fhall bring the blood, 
 te and fprinkle the blood round about upon the 
 rf altar that is by the door of the tabernacle cf 
 <c the congregation.” 3 The law refpeffing a 
 peace offering, whether it be of the herd, or of 
 the flock, is the fame ■, and the fame form and 
 ceremonies are to be obferved concerning it. 1 
 An atonement for fins of ignorance, whether 
 committed by the Priejl , by a Ruler , or by a. pri¬ 
 vate perfon , is to be made in the fame way ; and 
 all the fame ceremonies punctually to be obferved 
 in the offering : And if it be by the whole congre¬ 
 gation. , the Elders cf the congregation are to lay : 
 their hands on the head of the bullock before the 
 Lord. 3 And on the great day of yearly facrifice, 
 when an atonement was to be made for the whole 
 congregation, by the offering of two goats , one 
 for a frn-offering and the other for a Jcape-goat 
 the priefb was to lay both his hands on the head 
 of the fcape-goat, and confefs over him all the 
 iniquities of the children of IJrael, and all their 
 iranfgrefforts, in all their fins A Thefe were fea¬ 
 tures 
 
 * Levii. i. j —3. * See Chap. 3. I, 2, 6 , 7, 8, 12, 13. 
 
 ? Levit. 4. throughout. 4 Levit. 16. 21. 
 
•CHAP. III. 
 
 43 
 
 tutes and ordinances to be obferved by the chil¬ 
 dren of Ifrael forever, in all their generations. 
 
 These inftitutions were expreflrve and figni- 
 ficanc j and the language and import of them not 
 hard to be under Rood. For it is to be noted, 
 
 I. That the reafoti why the blood was fo ef- 
 fential a part of the facrifice, was that it emh 
 neatly fignifies the life. Accordingly, when Cain 
 had (lain his brother, God charges the murder 
 ‘upon him in thefe words, “ What hafc thou 
 tc done ? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth 
 ■ ef unto me from the ground/’ 1 Thefiril exprefs 
 law we have in the holy fcriptures againft mur¬ 
 der, is alfo conceived in thefe terms, “ Whofoe- 
 tc ver fneddeth man’s bloody by man fhall his. 
 <c blood be Used, 2, This feems to have been the 
 realbn why blood was excepted out of that grant 
 which was firft made to men, of the brutal create 
 on for food. “ Every moving thing that liveth,” 
 faid the donor, <c fhall be meat for you j even as 
 tc the green herb have I given you all things. 
 <£ But flefh with the life thereof \ which is the blood 
 
 thereof\ fhall you not eat.” 3 The reafon why 
 blood , which is the life, might not be eaten, is 
 given where God faith, <s I will even let my face 
 “ againfl: the foul that eateth blood, and will 
 £C cut him off from among my people. For the 
 <£ life of the flefh is in the blood, and I have 
 <c given it to you upon the altar, to make an at one - 
 “ merit for your fouls \ for it is the BLOOD that 
 “ maketh an atonement for the foul .” 4 Therefore 
 fprinkling the blood of the facrifice round 
 upon the altar, figuratively imported the 
 
 1 Gem/. 4, 10. 1 Gene/. 9, 6. 3 Gmef. g, sf, 
 
 ?7- 
 
 4 
 
44"" 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 rng up of the life to the Lord upon his altar, to 
 be confumed by fire. 
 
 IT. Laying the hand on the head of the 
 bead ihat v/as to be facrificed, implied cor t feJp.cn 
 cffin and guilt in the fight of God. On the great 
 day of yearly atonement for fin, the high Pried 
 was exprefsly required to “lay both his hands on 
 “ the head of the fcape-goat, and ccnfejs over kirn 
 “ all the Iniquities of the children cflfracl, and all 
 “ their traJjgrefticns in all their Jins , -putting them 
 “ tit on. the head of the goat” So, when any 
 private perfon brought his offering for fin j 
 and laying his hand on the head of the beaft, de¬ 
 livered it up for a burnt-offering to be made up¬ 
 on the altar; the feveral ceremonies which were 
 to be obferved in the cafe, clearly implied con- 
 fejjion of fin, and defert of evil at the hand of God. 
 And as the life of the tranfgreffor is forfeited by 
 fin, God’s acceptance of the life of the beaft un¬ 
 der thefe circumftances, plainly contains the idea 
 that the beaft is fubftituted in the room of him who 
 offers it; and that it dies and is confumed by fire 
 on the altar of the Lord, inftead of the tranfgrefi- 
 or. When it is exprefsly afferted that it is the 
 Mood, or the life that makes the atonement, and 
 the finner, whofe life is forfeited, is pardoned 
 and accepted upon his offering the life of the beaft. 
 over which he has confeffed his own fins, on the 
 Lord’s altar ; it will be exceedingly natural to 
 fuppofe that the beaft which is facrificed is, by 
 divine appointment, fubftituted to die and be 
 confumed in the room of the finner. The killing 
 and facrificing the beaft which was brought as an 
 offering for fin, to make atonement, together with 
 the feveral ceremonies to be obferved relative to 
 it, very fignificantly expreffed both, the finner-’s 
 
 conviftion 
 
GHAP. III. 
 
 45 
 
 convidion that he ■ himfelf' deferved death'; 
 and his faith in the merciful acceptance of God 
 of a fubftitute infcead of the perfon of the tranf- 
 greaor. 
 
 III. Tn^fire that confumed the facrifices 
 which were offered upon the altar, was fignifi- 
 cant of divine anger. That this was the cafe, 
 appears from the following confiderations, viz. 
 
 1. Nothing gives a more acute and pungent 
 fenfation of pain than fire. We have no ideas of 
 greater bodily torment than may be produced by 
 fire. Accordingly it is a metaphor abundantly made 
 life of, in the holy fcriptures, to exprefs the awful 
 nature and greatnefs of divine anger ; and the 
 intolerable cliftrefs it will bring on thofe upon whom 
 it finally falls; No term is more frequently made 
 tile of, in the word of God, to exprefs divine an® 
 ger, than fire. Thus the fupreme Being calls 
 upon his people, by the prophet, “circumcife 
 tc yourfelves to the Lord, and take away the 
 tc forefkins of your heart, ye men of Judah, and 
 <c inhabitants of Jerufalem; left my fury come 
 tc forth like fire , and burn that none can quench. 
 <f it, becaufe of the evil of your doings.” 0 Again; 
 £f O houfe of David, thus faith the Lord, exe- 
 tc cute judgment in the morning, and deliveT 
 (C him that is fpoiled out of the hand of the op- 
 “ prefibr, left my fury go out like fire, and bura 
 tc that none can quench it —” l And thus the 
 fame prophet laments the evils which God, in his 
 righteous anger, had brought on his people If- 
 rael : fc He hath cut off in his fierce anger all 
 (C the horn of Ifrael : he hath drawn back his 
 cc right hand from before the enemy, and he 
 
 burned 
 
 0 Jerem. 4. 4. 1 Jevent. 21. 12. 
 
46 
 
 CHAP. Ill, 
 
 <f burned again# Jacob like a flaming flre which 
 cc devoureth round about.” 1 God exhibits his 
 anger under the fame metaphor by another of the 
 prophets, when he fays to the people, cf I will 
 e< pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will 
 cc blow again# thee in the flre of my wrath> and 
 “ deliver thee into the hand of brutilh men, and 
 <r fkilful to deftroy. Thou Hi alt be for fuel to 
 ec the firs '' 1 Thus alfo the heathen are threat- 
 ned, C( Surely in the fire of my jealoufy have I 
 <f fpoken again# the refidue of the heathen,” &c. 4 
 Therefore the prophet Amos exhorts, <c Seek the 
 <c Lord and ve (hall live, left he break out like 
 “fire in the houfe of Jofeph, and devour it.” 5 
 In a variety of other places is the fame metaphor 
 made ufeof, in the old teftament, to expreis di¬ 
 vine anger. 
 
 The fame term is abundantly ufed in the new 
 teftament, both by Chrift himfelf, and by the Apo- 
 fties, to denote divine anger, and the awful 
 effects of it upon the enemies of God. Thus 
 Chrift faith to his difciples, in explaining the 
 parable of the tares, lC The fon of man fhall fend 
 “ forth his angels, and they fhall gather out of 
 te his kingdom all things that offend, and them 
 te which do iniquity ; and fhall caft them into a 
 £r furnace of fire ; there fnall be weeping and 
 ct gnafhincr of teeth.” 6 He alfo exhorts, <c If 
 <{ thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for 
 <c thee to enter into life maimed, than having two 
 <f hands, to go into hell, into the fire that never 
 ee fhall be quenched ; where their worm dieth 
 <c not, and their fire is not quenched.” 7 And 
 
 when 
 
 ' Lan-.Tr.:. z. 3. 3 EzeL 21. 31, 32. 4 EzeL 36.5. 
 
 5 slmei, 6. 6 Matt. 13. 41, 42. 7 Marti, 9. 43, 44- 
 
CHAP. III. 
 
 47 
 
 when he comes to judge the world, he will be 
 “revealed from heaven in flaming fire taking ven- 
 “ geance on them that know not God, and that 
 ff obey not the gofpel of our Lord Jefus Chrift.” 5 
 When he fits in judgment, the fentence which 
 he finally paffes on his enemies will be, cc Depart 
 <c from me, ye curded, into everlafting fire, prepa- 
 tf red for the devil and his angels.” 6 And, the 
 clofing fcene of all is, that cc the devil who decei- 
 “ ved the nations, is caft into the lake of fire and 
 <f brimftone , where the beafi and the falfe prophet 
 {C are to be tormented day and night, forever and 
 cf ever.” 7 No expreffion is more frequently 
 made ufe of in the facred writings to denote di¬ 
 vine anger , than this. And when the anger of 
 God is meant to be reprefented as exceedingly 
 great, rifing even to fury, no other metaphor is 
 fo frequently ufed to reprefent the terrible nature 
 and awful confequences of it as fire. <c The 
 <c mountains quake at him, and the hills melt , 
 “ and the earth is burnt at his prefence, yea, the 
 <c world and all that dwell therein. Who can Hand 
 “ before his indignation ? and who can abide 
 “ the fiercenefs of his anger ? his fury is poured 
 “ out like fire , and the rocks are thrown down 
 “ by him.” 3 
 
 And as the term fire , in a great variety of in- 
 fiances, is made ufe of as a figure in the facred 
 writings to exprefs divine anger •, there is no in¬ 
 fiance wherein it evidently appears to be uled to 
 exprefs any other affedlion of the divine mind. It 
 is true that John the baptift fays, “ I indeed bap- 
 fC tife you with water—-but he that cometh after 
 “ me—fhall baptife you with the holy ghoft, and 
 H tc with 
 
 5 If. Tbef. i. 7, 8. 6 Matt. 25. 41. 7 Rev. 20. 10, 
 
 s Nahum, 1. 5, 6. 
 
48 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 <c with fire.'" 3 But in reprefenting Chrift in this 
 light, the Baptift Teems to have reference to the 
 d dc rip t ion given, by the ancient prophets, of 
 the character of Chrift. For fpeaking of his 
 coming, it is laid, cc Who may abide the day of 
 <£ his coming ? and who fhall ftand when he ap- 
 iC peareth ? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like 
 ‘ c fuller’s Tope. And he fhall fit as a refiner and 
 <c purifier of filver.” &c.° And it was foretold 
 that Chrift fhould “ purge the blood of Jerufalem 
 <c from the midft thereof, by the fpirit of judg- 
 Cf ment, and by the fpirit of burning.”* As fire 
 is a greater purifier than water , for this reafon it 
 probably is that the baptifm with which Chrift 
 haptifeth his people, is reprefented by fire ; and 
 this in allufion to the Jewifh cuftom of purifying- 
 certain veffels by fire. In this paffage, therefore, 
 we find no evidence that any other affection of 
 the divine mind than anger , is ever reprefented 
 under the metaphor of fire. 
 
 i. The final deftrudlion of the. enemies of God 
 is reprefented in the holy fcriptures, by thofe fa- 
 crifices for fin which were exprefsly required to 
 be burned. The Pfalmift faith, (C The wicked 
 “ fhall perifh, and the enemies of the Lord fhall 
 “ be as the fat of lambs, they fliall confume ; 
 fC into fmoke fhall they confume away.” 1 It was 
 an exprefs law of God that no fat of any fin- 
 offering fhould be eaten, but that it fhould all 
 be confumed by fire on the altar. 3 But if the 
 fire that burned on the altar, and confumed the 
 Sacrifices which were offered upon it, were not 
 an emblem of divine wrath ; the confumption of 
 thefe facrifices would not have been a figure of 
 
 the 
 
 9 Matt. 3. ii. ° Malachi, 3. 2, 3. 1 Ifai. 44. 1 Pfa. 
 
 iy. 20. 3 SeeLevit. 3. 15, 16. and 6. 30, 
 
CHAP. III. 
 
 49 
 
 the deflrudtion of God’s enemies : And there 
 could have been no propriety in reprefenting the 
 latter under the image of the former. Had not 
 David confidered the fire on the altar as a figure 
 of divine anger, we have no reafon to fuppofe 
 that he would have reprefented the effects of this 
 anger on the enemies of God, by the facrifices 
 which were offered upon the altar of burnt-offering. 
 We have, therefore, reafon to conclude that he 
 viewed the latter as an image of the former; 
 which he could not have done with propriety, 
 unlefs the fire which confumed thefe facrifices 
 were a figure of divine anger. God himfelf feems 
 to reprefent the matter in the fame light, where 
 it is faid by the prophet, tc The fword of the 
 “ Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with 
 ** fatnefs, and with the blood of lambs and goats ; 
 
 with the fat of kidneys of rams : For the Lord 
 “ hath a Jacrifice in Bozrah, and a great flaugh- 
 x< ter in the land of Idumea.” 4 Here the awful 
 definition which Was coming on the Idumeans, 
 is reprefented by their being made a Jacrifice ■, 
 and particularly imaged by thofe parts of the fin- 
 offering which are confumed by fire, upon the 
 Lord’s altar. 
 
 Thus we fee the fire which confumed the fa- 
 crifices which were offered upon the altar, repre¬ 
 fented divine anger ; and was an image of the fire 
 of divine wrath. And the holy flarhe, under the 
 former difpenfation, muff be continually fuppli- 
 ed, and fed with facrifices; otherwife it would 
 burft forth upon the people, and defiroy them. 
 So important is it that there fhould be an exr 
 hibition of divine anger, preparatory to the ex- 
 ercife of pardoning mercy toward the finner. 
 
 The 
 
 * Jfaiah, 34. 6, 
 
50 CHAP. III. 
 
 The feveral ceremonies of the facrifices for fin, 
 under the leviticai inftirution, taken together, 
 had a language that was very fignificant. They i 
 implied—the divine anger againft the fmner , 
 and that in the judgment of God, the tranfgreffor 
 deferved to die, even that death which was the 
 penalty of the law—that the tranfgreffor was of 
 the fame lentiments, and entertained the fame 
 views of his own character and deferts—that he 
 repented of his (ins, and juftified God and his 
 law in condemning him—and finally that he fled 
 to, and trufted in, the mercy of God through an 
 atonement wherein his righteous anger figuratively 
 burned againft him. This feemed to be the plain 
 and natural import of the facrifices for fin, which 
 were appointed by the leviticai law and of the 
 rites and ceremonies to be obferved in offering 
 them. 
 
 IV. The facrifice of beads, and the atone¬ 
 ment thereby made for fin, was manifeflly typi¬ 
 cal of the great facrifice of Chrijl , and the atone¬ 
 ment which he made for the fins of the world. 
 
 That the ancient tabernacle, and all the rites 
 and forms of that worfhip which was performed 
 in it, were typical, is clearly taught in the New- 
 Teflament. For, Ipeaking of this tabernacle, the 
 Apoftle fays, it was “ a figure for the time then 
 te prefent, in which were offered both gifts and 
 ee facrifices that could not make him that did the 
 “ fervice perfect, as pertaining to the confcience 
 “ —But Chrijl being come an high pried, by a 
 <e greater and more perfedt tabernacle, not made 
 ct with hands, that is to fay not of this building ; 
 
 <e neither by the blood of goats and calves , but by 
 “ his own blood entered in once into the holy 
 
 place. 
 
CHAP. III. 
 
 5 1 
 
 t: place, having 'obtained . eternal, redemption for 
 <f us.” On which.he reai'ons thnsj “ For if the 
 <c blood of bulls and of goats, and the allies of 
 “ an heifer fprinkling the unclean, fanCiifieth 
 <c to the purifying of the fiefh , how much more 
 “ fhall the blood of Chri.fi , who through the eter- 
 “ nai fpirit offered himjelf without fpot to God* 
 cc purge your confcience from dead works to ferve 
 tc the living God.” 1 We here obferve that it was 
 the blood of the ancient facrifice that was particu¬ 
 larly typical ; and in this the figure of the great 
 facrifice which taketh away the fins of the world, 
 was efpecially contained. It was the blood of the 
 bead: that cleanfed from fiejhly impurity ; and it is 
 the blood of Chrift that purgeth the confcience frcr.i 
 dead ‘Works to ferve the living God. And feeing it 
 is by his own blood that Chrift enters - into heaven 
 itfelf, to appear in the prefenee of God for his 
 people; the Apoftle from thence infers that it 
 was. neceffary the earthly tabernacle, and all the 
 ancient patterns of heavenly things, fhould alfo 
 be purified with blood. 2 
 
 It is further manifeft that fm-offerings in parti¬ 
 cular were typical of the offering which Chrijl 
 made of himf elf to God and mere eminently Jo than 
 many of the offerings that were made under 
 the law. For it was prophecied of Chrift that 
 he fhould make his foul an offering for fin ; 3 that is, 
 make himjelf a fin-offering. Therefore the Apoftle 
 fpeaking of Chrift, faith that God hath made him 
 to be fin for us , who knew no fin.* And it is 
 evident that Chrift was made fin in no other fepfe 
 than by being made a fin-offering. The Apoftle, 
 alfo, manifeftly fpeaks of Chrift as a fm-offeringy 
 
 when 
 
 1 Heb. 9, 8,9,11—14, a verfs 23. 3 Ifaiah, 53. 10. 
 
 * II, Cor. 5. 2J, 
 
5 * 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 when he fays that he “ needeth not daily, as thofe 
 * c high pnefts, to offer up facrifke, firft for his 
 tc own fins, and then for the people’s: for this 
 <c he did once when he offered up himfelf” l And 
 he exhibits Chrift under the like chara&er, when 
 he fays that he was once offered up to bear the fins 
 of many. 1 
 
 These jDaffages fufRciently prove that the fm~ 
 offerings which were under the levitical inftitution, 
 .were particularly and eminently typical of the of¬ 
 fering which Chrift made of his life to God ; and 
 confequendy that there was a correfpondence of 
 the fubftance with the Jhadow —that the reality 
 was anfwe'rable to the image : Otherwife the Apo- 
 ftle could not, with propriety, reafon from the 
 latter to th t former. 
 
 But if there were an exhibition of divine anger 
 in the fin-offerings, which were made under the 
 law ; we have reafon to fuppofe there was alfo 
 an exhibition of divine anger in the offering which 
 Chrift made of himfelf for Jin. If thofe facrifices, 
 in which were contained the mod lively image 
 of divine difpleafure againft the finner, were par¬ 
 ticularly and efpecially, typical of the facnfice 
 of Chrift; this would naturally lead us to con¬ 
 clude that the facrifice and Offerings of Chrift 
 were a lively demonftration of the righteous dif¬ 
 pleafure of God againft finners. 
 
 V ,v . ff \ 
 
 CHAPTER, 
 
 1 Ihb. f. 27. - Heb. 9. 28. 
 
CHAP. IV. 
 
 53 
 
 CHAPTER, IV. ' ' * 
 
 In which it is inquired whether there le not evi¬ 
 dence that Chnfi died in the ROOM and STEAD 
 of the f inner . 
 
 I T is not necefiary in the prefent cafe, to in¬ 
 quire what that death is which the finner mufl 
 have fuflfered, had it not been for the atonement 
 and interceffion of Chrift : Or to compare the 
 evils which mufl: have come upon the finner, .with 
 thofe which were actually induced by Chrift. 
 But the defign is to examine the evidence which 
 the holy fcriptures give us that the Lord Jefus 
 Chrift did, in a ftrid and proper fenfe, die iie the 
 room and fiead of fimiers. 
 
 This inquiry is very necefifary in order to un- 
 derftand the tiue import of Chrift’s death; the 
 relation it had to the law which threatens death' 
 to the tranfgreflbr; and, the influence it hath fa 
 opening the way for mercy to be exercifed toward 
 the finner. This will naturally lead to a better 
 underftanding of the language of To important an 
 event, as it relates to the character and defert of 
 the finner; and enable us to fee in what fenfe, 
 and in what refpeds, the law of God is ho¬ 
 noured by it. 
 
 The language, the expreiTions, of the facred 
 writings are fuch as, in their moft plain and natu- 
 ral import, convey the idea of Chrift’s being a fiib~ 
 Jiitute, and dying in the room and fiead of the finner. 
 And, if the terms made ufe of, by the infpired 
 writers, moft naturally fuggeft this idea; this, of 
 courfe, is the light in which the fubjed ought re¬ 
 ally to be viewed. In order to colled the fenfe 
 
 of. 
 
54 
 
 CHAPA 13k 
 
 of the facrei Writers, more- fatisfaflorily cn the 
 fubjeft j it may beufeful to give the feveral modes 
 of expreflion -which we find in .the fcriptures rela¬ 
 tive to it, a diftiu&. and particular confitle- 
 ration. And, 
 
 I. Our Saviour .himfelf tells us that he <c came 
 <c not be miniftred unto, but to minifler, and to 
 ft give his life .a RANSOM for many.” 1 And 
 the Apoftle faith that Chrift “ gave himfdf <z 
 
 RANSOM for ail,to be teftified indue time.”'* 
 Thefe exprefilons naturally convey the idea of 
 Chrift’s life being given up injlead 01 the hnner’s— 
 that, when the. (Inner was condemned by law, to 
 die; Chrijl died- in his roan. This is the literal 
 meaning of the original terms,which are rendered, 
 in our translation, a, rahjom for many. Lu- 
 trcn anti poll con, and Antilutron uper panJoon , ..are 
 expreffions which, in the Greek, naturally con¬ 
 vey the idea of a fubfiitute, and luppofe one to be 
 in the room and place of another. The word la- 
 iron, which is here mandated ranjom, properly 
 fignifies the drift? of redemption, or that on the gift 
 of which, the guilty perfon is delivered from the 
 punifhment, or. evils to. .which, he was expofed. 
 Thus, it was .aelaw in Ifrael, “ ye fhall take -no 
 
 cc Jatisfadiloii for the life of a. murderer--And, 
 
 <c ye fhall take no fatisfaction for him.that is fled 
 tc to the city of his refuge, that he corner-gain to 
 c< dwell irk'fhe land, until the death of the 
 “ Prieftd' 1 In "both* thefe places the Hebrew 
 word wh;ch'is'Here rendered fatisfafion, -is, in 
 the Septuagint translation, ftitrtm. When, there¬ 
 fore, ChrhVis fajd'to have given hhnfelf, hislife 
 a raniom for many, (hitrcn anti pollooji, or anti¬ 
 lutron 
 
 1 Matt. zo:‘ 28. ■■ Marh XO; 4p' 1 Tin:, -2. 6/ 
 
 'Nun', 35. 31, 32. 
 
CHAP. IV. 
 
 ss 
 
 Jut non uper pantoon,') it muft mean that he gave up 
 his life infiead of thofe who were condemned to death . 
 And this is the fame as if it had beenfaid,,he gave 
 up his life infiead of thofe who were condemned 
 to die. The prepofition. which is here mandated 
 for many, or for all, mult mean eppofition and 
 contrariety, or commutation or the exchange of one 
 thing for another. But, it cannot be taken in the 
 former fenfe; for then it would imply that Chrift 
 gave himfelf, his life, In oppofition to the linner, 
 and in order to render it forever impoflible that the 
 ■firmer dhould live. It muft therefore, be taken 
 in the latter and, then it will imply that Chrift 
 gave his life in the room zndfiead of the finner. 
 In this latter fenfe is the fame prepofition ufed by 
 tlie Seventy, where the king faid to the prophet, 
 in the caie which he had juft put to him, “ if by 
 “ any means he be miiTing, then fhall thy life be 
 u for his life.” 12 ' So Jehu faid, tc If any of the 
 tc men I have brought into your hands efcape,he 
 tc that letteth him go, his -life fnall be for the 
 * c iifeofhim.” 3 When anyone is faid to give him- 
 Jelf a ranfom for another, it is fuppofed that he 
 puts himfelf in the place of the other. Should 
 any one give himfelf a ranfom, (antilutrpn ) to re¬ 
 deem a captive, it would fuppofe that he himfelf 
 went into captivity . And Ihould any one give 
 
 himfelf, his life a ranfom for one who was con¬ 
 demned to die ; it would imply that he died for 
 him, or in his ftead. 4 The expreffions under 
 confideration manifeftly imply that the life of 
 Chrifi was the price of the finner’s ; and that it 
 was given up with this view, and for this purpofe. 
 
 I II. 
 
. CHAP. IV 
 
 5-6 
 
 II. Ths're are dtSer pafiages' , of Scripture in 
 which it is not lefa clearly and fully intimated 
 that Chrift died in the room and ftead of finners. 
 
 . # s v ■ - 4 | 
 
 lx this light is the cafe evidently reprefented 
 ■by^he Apoftle, where he faith that “ Chrift hath 
 “ crnce buffered- for--fins, the juft for the unjuft y 
 l\ that he might bring us to God.”° Here wo 
 •are exprefsly. taught that Chrift,, a juft perfon, j 
 fuffe-rcd. for ihofte who. are unjift , and who them- 
 felves deferved to. fuller. ; And the bufferings of 
 jChrift which are here fpoken of, ate not his hu- 
 initiation in- being . born and duelling with men—■ || 
 not the temptations of fat an smfh which he was 
 Aj/W—not the ft. an dors, the reproaches, the oppoft- 
 tiou of men , which he .had no combat through the 
 •Whole courfe of his life but his. death which he 
 fufferea uppn the crofs. For the Apoftle, when 
 he had fpoken of Cnrift’s fuffering for the unjuft, I 
 in order that we-might know what fuffering he 
 referred .to, immediately adds <c being put to death 
 “ in the flefii, but quickened by the fpirit.” So 
 that the words of the Apofrie mod clearly | 
 contain this aftertion, viz..; -That ChriftJujfered 
 death, for thefe who were condemned to die, that he 
 might, bring them to God. And how could it 
 be.more clearly and exprefsly afferted, without 
 vCing the : very terms thcnfelves, that Chrift died, 
 or foffered death, in the room and ft end of finners j 
 Accordingly it is elfewnere afferted that “ Chrift j 
 ■“ died for the ungodly —that while we were yet; I 
 i< without ftrength, Chrift died for us that he 
 g lo-rs-ytux, f ins *<? his own body on dhe tree —by. 
 cc whole ftripes we are healed —that God'hath 
 <c -made him to be fin for ks who knew no fin ~—that 
 ‘5. he zoas delivered (that is,, to death) for .our. of¬ 
 fences, - 
 
 °I. Pet, 3. 18. 'Rom. 5. 6 , 8. Pet, 2I 24. 2 II. Cor. 5. zl. 
 
CHAP. I VZ 
 
 5*' 
 
 tc fences,' delivered'up for us ail fi and that) even'- 
 <c Chrift our paffover is facrificedfornis :" 1 Thd'e- 
 paffages import that the life of Chrift Was offered 
 up in facrifice for the fins. of.-men j-and that it' 
 was by the facrifice of himfelf that he redeemed • 
 fmners from deftruction ; this being their ranfiom, 
 or the price of tHeir redemption. And all this is 
 perfectly correfpondent with the prophecies which ' 
 went before concerning him : For Ifaiah in the* 
 fpirit of prophecy, fays, <c Subtly he hath born 
 K cur griefs , and carried' our farrows —he was 
 <f wounded for our traifigreffions , he was bruifed 
 tc for our iniquities , the chaftffement of our peace 
 <c was upon him —and the Lord laid on him the 
 
 iniquity of us all - 
 
 Further ; it is exprefsly. afferted that Chrift 
 became a curfe for us. Paul faith that “ Chrift 
 i£ hath redeemed us.from the curfe of the law, 
 cc being made a curfe for us.” 5 Thefe words 
 imply that he was a fubfiituteior us in Juffering — 
 that he fuffered evil in our Head. Be the evils 
 which were implied in the hurfe which Chrift 
 fuffered, what they may, flill they were evils. 
 We cannot feparate the idea of evil, from a 
 curfe , eipecially the curfe' of God. From thofe 
 evils which are implied in the curfe of the law to* 
 finners, Chrift hath redeemed his people f and 
 from thefe he redeemed them by fuffering thofe 
 evils, whatever .they were, which were.,implied, 
 rn the curfe which he endured. It is hence evident 
 that Chrift, in his fuffering on the' crofs, was a 
 fiubftitute for the finner. And however different 
 the evils which Chrift fuffered were, from thofe 
 which the finner muft have fuffered had the curfe 
 
 . • Gf 
 
 1 Rom. 4. 25. and 8 . 32. 3 I. Cor. 5. 7. * Ifai. 53. 4, 
 
 5, 6 . - % .Qatai. 3. 13. 
 
58 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 of the law fallen-,, in its full weight upon hi in ; 
 ftill whatever evils lie did actually fufier, were 
 endured in the room and ftead of fmners. For it 
 was by he coming or by being mads a curje , that 
 Chrift redeemed his people. 
 
 In whatever way Chrift’s becoming, or being 
 made, a curje> was effential to the recovery of fin¬ 
 ders j or, whatever influence it adtually hath in 
 their recovery : We have, neverthelej’ 3 , fuflicient 
 authority to conclude that it has iufAence in this, 
 great event, and is ejfential, to it. For if Chrift’s, 
 becoming a curfe has no influence, and were not ef* , 
 fential to the finner’s being redeemed from the. 
 curfe j we can fee no reafon why the Apoftle 
 ihould fo particularly aferibe our redemption to 
 Chrift's becoming a curfe. And,; the. pafiage 
 which is quoted from the Old Teftament in the 
 proof of Chrift being made.a. curje. i,. fnow’s that- this 
 was in his dying on the cro/s : For,” fays the A- 
 poftle, “ it is written, curfed is every one that 
 <f hangethon a tree.” Hence it plainly appears, 
 that Chrift endured, evil , fujfered a curje , and- di¬ 
 ed in the room and place of fmners, in order to re¬ 
 deem them from the. curfe of the law. We can 
 hardly conceive how any thing fhould be faid 
 which would more fully imply Chrift’s Juffering 
 and. dying in the room of fmners. . Cdrift's, being 
 made a JubJiitute for fmners, and dying in their 
 fieadi can hardly be exprefled in ftronger, or 
 more direct terms than thefey—-—that, he diedjor 
 the ungodly -—died for us-r —fuffered the juft for the 
 unjuft >—bore our Jins in his. own body m the tree— 
 redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made 
 a curfe for us—was made Jm for uSy—facrifced. for 
 us and the like. 
 
 Should 
 
CHAP, rV. 
 
 59 
 
 Should it be - Aid that one perfon became a» 
 Jurety for another—that he was bound, impnfon- 
 ed, made a vi&im for him ■, no one would be at 
 any lofs to determine the meaning of the expreffi- 
 ons. All would immediately conceive that the' 
 furety was bounds imprifoned, made a vi&im,.' 
 in the room and Head of the offender. This" 
 would be the conftrudHon which the common' 
 fenfe of mankind would univerfally put on fuch 
 like expreffions, in the cafe before us. For one 
 perfon to become bound for another , or fubjeCt 
 himfelfto any evil, or penalty, for him ; is, in a ‘ 
 ftri'ct and proper fenfe, to fubfiitute himfelf, and 
 put himfelf in the room and -place of the delinquent. 
 By a parity of reafon, therefore, and by all juft: 
 rules of conftruffion, we muff fuppofe that the 
 variety of expreffions made ufe of, in the holy 
 fcriptures, relative to the defign and reafon of the 
 fufferings and death of Chrilt, do indeed imply 
 that be fubftitnted himfelf in the place of finners, 
 and died in their room and jiead. 
 
 That Chrift fhould himfelf become the price 
 of the finner’s redemption—that he fhould give 
 himfelf his life\ a ranfom for- limners—that he 
 fhould be made ftn> fuffer , die , and he fanbiifedfor 
 them ; are Expreffions which convey a fenfe too 
 plain and intelligible to be eafily evaded. And, 
 if thefe and fuch like expreffions-, do not imply 
 that, for fome reafon op other, Ghrift verily fub- 
 fiituted himfelf\ andfubjebled himfelfto fujfering and 
 death , in the room and place of finners ; it 1 will be 
 difficult to find language, to in vent terms, 
 which would fully and unequivocally afcertaid 
 this idea of the end of his death. 
 
 It being then admitted that. Chrift did really 
 
 die 
 
CHAP. IV. 
 
 60 
 
 diedn the room and ftead of fmners; the following 
 remarks naturally offer themlelves, viz. 
 
 i. That, tide death and facrifice of Chrift had 
 an efpecial and peculiar relation to the penal part 
 of the Jaw~of God. It is acknowledged that a 
 humble fpirit, and a broken heart, are frequently 
 termed facrifices y in the holy fcriptures. And one 
 principal reaton of it, probably, is the correfpon- 
 dcn’t views which were contained in fuch exerci- 
 fes, with the plain language, the natural import, 
 of the facrifices' of atonement which were 
 made for fin, under the law. The broken 
 Jpirit which David confiders as the accept¬ 
 able facrifice to God , 1 implied an acknowledge¬ 
 ment of. the righteoufnefs of .the divine law, and 
 a hope and truft in the mercy of God through an 
 atonement. And, as this, was but the obvious 
 Implication of the levitical facrifices) the term it- 
 felf, by a very eafy and natural tranfition, might 
 be carried to the temper of mind with which the 
 literal facrifices were to be made. But, literal 
 facrifices themfelves are neceflary only for Tinners: 
 they are inftituted only in cafe of guilty and where 
 the lav/ is broken. Had there been no fin, no 
 facrifice would have been required. The facrifi¬ 
 ces under the law, in all cafes wherein they were 
 to be ufed, fuppofed that offences had been com¬ 
 mitted: And, onlyin cafes of offence were facrifi¬ 
 ces of atonement appointed. Where fin had not 
 been committed,, there was no need of, either 
 confefiion of guilt in the creature, or teftimony 
 of difplealure in the Creator :• But, where: it had, 
 both were neceffary in order to .reconciliation. 
 
 And 
 
 1 Pfalms, 51. 17. 
 
chap; iv. 
 
 Si 
 
 And, both thefe, we are to remember, 'were im¬ 
 plied in the bloody facrifices of the law'; and e- 
 qually fo, in the lacrifice of Chrift. “d ' xJ - 
 
 The law of God, in the penal part of k, hath 
 no demands on the righteous: but, fin brings us 
 under obligation to puniihment; , The preceptive 
 ■part of the law immediately and continually ,rei- 
 pe£ts every creature ; lying equally on every one, 
 with all its binding force. But, not lb as. to the 
 pend-, this immediately refpedts only the trani- 
 greffor; having a relation to him, and a demand 
 on him, which it hath not on the innocent.. And, 
 as facrifices of atonement are neceflary only in caf¬ 
 fes of tranfgrefiion, it is hence evident that they 
 have a more immediate reference to the penalties, 
 than to the preceptive parts of the divine law: 
 As far, therefore, as there is afimilittrde, and inrk 
 ty of defign, between the bloody facrifices of the 
 law, and the facrifice of Chrift ; fo far the latter, 
 as well as the former, had a more immediate re¬ 
 ference to the fan&ions of the law. As far as the 
 latter was prefigured by the former.; fo far the 
 penal, rather than the preceptive parts of the 
 Jaw were regarded in it. 
 
 a. It appears from the preceding obfervati- 
 ons, that Chrift was a facrifice in his bloody and ig - 
 nominious death , in a different fenfe from what he 
 -was in his holy and obedient life. However necef- 
 fary it was that Chrift fhould live aperfe&ly pure 
 and holy life, in order to the acceptableneft of 
 the facrifice which he made of himfelf in his death ; 
 (as this indeed was abfolutely neceffary) ftiU, his 
 death was a facrifice in a different fenfe from that 
 of his obedient life. Sin-offerings, under the for¬ 
 mer dilpenfation, were to be made only of clean 
 
 beafts i , 
 
£l 
 
 CHAP. 17. 
 
 -beads; and thofe, too, fuck as were without ble- 
 ■mifh. Yet, thefe beads, clean and unblemifhed, 
 were to be offered up m facrifice to God. 
 So Chrift, tf through the eternal Spirit, offered up 
 li himfelf wifhhut ftp at to GodTherefore, his 
 people are’ faid to be redeemed from their vain 
 converfation with the precious blood of Chrift, as 
 cf a lamb "without blemijh, and without Jpot .* 
 And, as the redemption which Chrift hath obtain¬ 
 ed for his people is aforibed t6 his blood, or his 
 death, as its procuring caufe ; we are naturally 
 led to comider the facrifice he made of himfelf as 
 confiftirig in a peculiar and diftingyiihing manner 
 in his death. 
 
 Agree ajbl y to this vierv of the matter,, ChriR: 
 who knew no .fin, is faid to have been made fin 
 for us ; s which can be true in no other fenfe than 
 ■being made a fin-offering. And that it was not 
 in his obedient life, but his ignominious death 
 that Chrift was made a fin-offering, feems natur 
 rally to be ftuggefted by the drftinftion whieh the 
 Apoftle makes between his firft and fecond ap¬ 
 pearing. He fays, cc As it is appointed unto 
 " man once to die—fo Chrift was once offered to 
 * e bear the fins of many : And unto them that 
 xt look for him fhall he appear the fecond time 
 * e without fin unto falvation. ,,4 ‘ 
 
 We know not in .what refipefts Chrift will ap¬ 
 pear the fecond time, without fin, any more than 
 he did the firft , excepting it be that at his fe¬ 
 cond coming he will n6t make his foul, or his 
 life, an offering for Jin. And it is exceedingly 
 plain that fufferings and death have a more direeffc 
 
 and 
 
 1 Htl. 9. 14. a Pet. 1. 19. "II. Cvr. 5. zi. 
 
 4 Het. 9. 27, 28. 
 
CHAP. IV. 6j 
 
 and immediate relation to the fandtions of the law, 
 than obedience . 
 
 3. It may be remarked further that the fame 
 
 character, the fame difpoftion of the Deity, which 
 would have appeared in the death of the finner, 
 was defigned to be exhibited in the death of Chrijh 
 It has been before o'oferved that it is eiTential to 
 the glory of God, that the fpirit of the law be 
 perfectly adhered to, and fully maintained, .in, 
 his adminiftration of government. Hence, and 
 hence only, aroie the neceflity of the firmer 's 
 death. Had not the former been neceffary, nei¬ 
 ther would the latter. Had it not been neceflary 
 that the fame character fhould appear, and be 
 fully and perfedtly preferved, in governing , as was 
 naturally exhibited by the laws which were origi¬ 
 nally eftablifhed as the rules of divine govern¬ 
 ment : we could difeern no necefiity of even the 
 finner s death. But feeing there is an obvious 
 neceffity of this, we eafily fee why it mufc be that 
 the foul, that fins fhould, alfo, die. If, therefore, 
 the Saviour died in the room and fiead of the finner, 
 we can’t rationally fuppofe otherwife than that, 
 in this remarkable event, the fame divine difpo- 
 ftion was delineated, and the fame character ex¬ 
 hibited, which would have appeared in the death 
 of the finner. Confequently, 
 
 4 . The principal defign of the death of Chrijh . 
 was not to difeover the perfection and ftrength of 
 his own perfonal obedience ; and to bellow on it 
 a lullre, with which it could not otherwife have 
 fhone. It is confelfed that this is an end not only 
 worthy of being an objedt, but which alfo was 
 very advantageoufly anfwered by the death of 
 Chrift. Still it is evident that this was not the 
 
 * K only. 
 
64 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 only, or even principal objefl: in view, in this 
 great event. For Chrift to die in order to difco- 
 ver the immoveable ftrength of his difpofition to 
 obey. God ; and to die in the room and Jtead of thofe 
 who muft otherwife have fallen victims to divine 
 wrath ; are not precifely one and the fame thing : 
 Nor do they exhibit the character of the great 
 Governor of the world exaXtly in the fame point 
 of light. The death of the firmer is a glaf's in 
 which we fee the righteoufnefs, the punitive juf- 
 tice of God : So, alfo, is the death of Chrift. 
 In the former, we have a view of righteoufnefs as 
 it relates to the execution of punifhment: So, al¬ 
 fo in the latter 5 if it be true that Chrift died in 
 the room and ftead of finners ; and, that his death 
 had a more direct and immediate relation to the 
 Jan lJ ion of the moral law. 
 
 The death of Chrift difeovered iris own rigbte- 
 oujnejs , not merely as. it relates to pretexting 
 the innocent; but, alfo, to punilhing the guilty : 
 not only as it refpeXts rewarding the virtuous ; 
 but, bringing evil on the wicked. Otherwife 
 we cannot fee how it could be faid with pro¬ 
 priety, that he was made fin , or a fin-offering , for 
 us. Righteoufnefs is a general term, which relates 
 to law and government. It equally regards 
 the fanctions, as the precepts of the law ; and, as 
 really refpefls the execution of puniihments, as the 
 bellowment of rewards. Chrift’s becoming a curfe 
 for us, and his dying in our room and ftead, as 
 truly imply that he fuffered for us, as any thing faid 
 in the holy-feriptures fuppofeth that he obeyed the 
 law for us. And, when he is called the Lord our 
 righteoufnefs , the term is to be taken in a large 
 and general fenfe, as relating, both to the precepts 
 and the fanXtions, of the divine law : And, is to 
 
 be 
 
CHAP. V. 
 
 65 
 
 be confidered as regarding government as it is fup- 
 ported, both by the execution of punifhments, 
 and the beftowment of rewards. So, alfo, when 
 the righteoufnefs of the law is fpoken of as being 
 fulfilled in chriftians, 1 the term is to be taken in 
 a general fenfe ; and, is to be confidered as ha¬ 
 ving refpetft to law in general , as well the penal, 
 as the perceptive parts of it: Otherwife we could 
 not fee how the honour and dignity of the di¬ 
 vine government could be preferved, and yet the 
 
 ;uiity go unpunished. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Shewing the necejflty. of Chrift's perfect obedience in 
 order to his making atonement for ftn ; and*, 
 the influence which his perfanal righteoufnefs 
 hath in procuring pardon for the flnner. 
 
 OTWITHSTANDING the evidence there 
 
 IN is that Chrift died in the room and dead of 
 fmners ; and that the crimes of men are expiated 
 by the Sufferings of Chrift; it is to be remembered 
 that there is no merit, .no moral worth or atoning 
 virtue, merely in fufferings. Pain and diftreis 
 have no moral virtue in them:: and are of no 
 importance, otherwife than as means through 
 which the beauty of the divine character, and the 
 true difpofition of the divine mind, may be feen 
 by his creatures. For, as all the divine admi - 
 niftration is fitted to exhibit the character of 
 God, if punifhments did not anfwer this end, 
 they would nfever be made ufe of in the divine go¬ 
 vernment. The righteoufnefs of the law is ful¬ 
 filled in the fufferings of the flnner , in no other way 
 than as they Serve to exhibit the righteous charac¬ 
 ter of God, and prove Jiirn to be a hater of ini- 
 
 * Itom. 8. 4, 
 
66 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 quity. Were not this the cafe, the moral cha¬ 
 racter of the man Jefus Chrift would not have 
 been cf fo great importance to his being made an 
 offering for fin : But, .his whole worth as a jacri - 
 f.ce muff be eftimated by his capacity to endure 
 pain. 
 
 Ti-ie worth of the facrifice which Chrift made 
 - of himfelf for the fins of the world, arifes from 
 the moral excellencies of his perfon and character. 
 Were not this the cafe, the fame quantity of luf- 
 ferings endured by a perfon of inferior charac¬ 
 ter, would have equally anfwered the end 
 of obtaining pardon for the finner. It is true, 
 indeed, that for a perfon of Chrift's dignity and 
 worth to endure greater degrees of pain, is of more 
 importance than enduring lej's: yet, the value, 
 the import, in a moral view, of his fufferings, be 
 they either greater or lefs, arifes from his perfo- 
 nal worth and character. 
 
 This being the cafe, it was abfolutely neceffa- 
 jy, in order to the atonement he was about to 
 make by once offering up himfelf to God, that 
 his life and character ihould be raoft perfectly 
 pure-and fpotiefs: Otherwife, in his death he 
 could not have been an offering of a fweet favour 
 to God. This, we are naturally led to fuppofe, 
 v/as a reafon why the fin-offerings that were made 
 under the former difpenfation, were expreisly re¬ 
 quired to be of the clean beafts; and no other 
 would be accepted. For God expreisly declares, 
 “ curfed be the deceiver which hath in his flock 
 “ a male, and voweth and facrificeth unto the 
 cc Lord a corrupt thing.” 1 God’s acceptance 
 an offering, and his being reconciled to the 
 
 offender. 
 
 * Malacht* i. 14. 
 
CHAP. V. 
 
 67 
 
 offender, were upon the exprefs condition that 
 the facrifice was made only of beafts that were 
 clean. And the defign of this law was, not on¬ 
 ly to teach the duty and obligation of devoting 
 cur belt fervices, and giving up the bed we have 
 to God i but more clearly and perfectly to pre¬ 
 figure that glorious facrifice which Chrift made 
 of himjelf to God for the fine of the world. 
 Hence the Apoftte faith, “ For fuch an high. 
 ‘ f priefc became us, who is holy, harmlefs, un- 
 “ defded, feparated from boners, and made 
 <c higer than the heavens.” 1 The dignity and 
 excellency of the char abler of Chrilt, and thefe 
 only, put the infinite value on the facrifice which 
 he made of himfelf for the fins of the world. 
 And on this account, and this alone, it was that 
 God was pleafed to fmell a fweet favour in the 
 offering. Had there been the ieaft blemifh or 
 imperfection in the character of Chrift, his blood 
 would be as far from cleanfing from fin, as 
 that of bulls and goats : And his bufferings, how¬ 
 ever great in kind, or degree, would have been 
 of no avail to obtain pardon for the fmalleft 
 tranfgreflion, 
 
 An angry tyrant may have his rage appeafed 
 by bufferings—his revenge glutted by blood. 
 But not fo with the infinitely pure and glorious 
 governor of the world, who hath no pleafure in 
 the death of him that dieth. An exhibition of 
 the glories of his character, the infinite ftrength 
 and purity of his love, is the great end in view, 
 in all the pain and mifery he brings on his crea¬ 
 tures. The /offerings of Chrift, therefore, afide 
 from the moral excellencies of his character, his 
 pnoft perfect and virtupus obedience under them, 
 
 could 
 
 r Heb> 7„ 260 
 
63 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 could not have been of the leaft worth in the 
 fight of God : Becaule neither the wifdom, nor 
 righteoulnels ot God in his regards to the general 
 good, could have been feen in the Father’s lay¬ 
 ing on him the iniquities of us all. 
 
 But the neceinty of the obedience of Chrift, in 
 order to his making atonement for fin, is further 
 evident from fuch confiderations as thefe, viz. 
 
 i. The perfect obedience of Chrift was a ne- 
 ceffary and glorious atteftation to the righteouf- 
 nefs and equity of the moral law. 
 
 Mercy to the linner necefTarily implies that 
 the law by which he is condemned is juft and 
 righteous. And without a full and perfect ac¬ 
 knowledgment of this, Chrift could neither con¬ 
 fidently intercede for mercy to tranfgrelTors, ncr 
 the Father beftow it. Until this point was fully 
 acknowledged and eftablifhed, there could be no 
 room for reconciliation : becaufe every exercife 
 of mercy without this, -would be an implicit con- 
 feftion of undue feverity in the law. Therefore 
 Chrift himfelf faith, that “ heaven and earth fhall 
 (C pafs, before one jot, or one tittle fhall pafs 
 (C from the law, until all fhall be fulfilled.”' 
 But to behold a perfon of fuch high dignity as 
 the Lord Jefus Chrift, and of fo tranfcendently 
 excellent a character, perfectly obeying the di¬ 
 vine law ; and exhibiting in himfelf, and that 
 under the moft trying fcenes, a moft perfect pat¬ 
 tern of that cheerful obedience and unreferved 
 fubmiffion which is required of men; affords a 
 ftrong teftimony to the righteotifnefs of that law 
 under which men were originally placed : And 
 is fitted to convince us that every breach of it de- 
 
 ferves 
 
 1 Matt. 5. xS. 
 
CHAP. V. 
 
 69 
 
 ferves the curfe. No pattern, no example, could 
 poffrbly carry ftronger evidence of this than the 
 holv and obedient life of Chrift. 
 
 Such a teftimony to the righteoufnefs of the 
 law, was but a proper and neceffary acknowledge¬ 
 ment to be made to God, by him who undertook 
 to mediate peace between God and men. With¬ 
 out this it could not have appeared that Chrift in 
 every thing juftifted God,' and wholly condemned 
 the finner. And, had not the man Jefus Chrift 
 fnoft perfectly juftifted God, and condemned the 
 finner, his offering up himfelf upon the crofs, in- 
 ftead of being a fweet incenfe, would only have 
 been failing a victim to the juft indignation of his 
 injured foverign. 
 
 But, when Chrift, being found in fafhion as a 
 man, humbled himfelf, and'became obedient un¬ 
 to death ; when his death was an expreffion of the 
 high fenfe he entertained of the excellency and 
 righteoufnefs of the moral law; the facriftce he 
 made of himfelf was then an offering of a fweet 
 favour unto God ; and, naturally prepared the 
 way for a treaty of peace and reconciliation be¬ 
 tween God and men. And, the perfect obedi¬ 
 ence of Chrift under all the bufferings he endured 
 on earth, efpecially in the laft and extreme fcenes 
 of his life, was peculiarly honourable and accept¬ 
 able to God, as it carried the fulleft acknowledg¬ 
 ment of the righteoufnefs of divine government 
 when adminiftred in the adtual execution of di¬ 
 vine vengeance on his enemies. 
 
 When we take a view of the nature, defign 
 and greatnefs of the bufferings of Chrift, it will 
 appear that his voluntarily fubjedting himfelf to 
 them, and his ready, cheerful and patient obedi¬ 
 ence 
 
70 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 ence under them, were what really conftituted the 
 whole moral worth of the facrifice which he made 
 of hlmfelf for the fins of the world. The bars 
 diftrejs and pain of the Saviour, in themfelyes lim¬ 
 ply conftdered, had no virtue in them, and were 
 o{ no worth. But, the dtfpoftion of mind with 
 which he endured thofe extreme agonies and pains, 
 the temper he exprefted under them, were or in¬ 
 finite worth. Tnefe were, therefore, precious 
 inthefight of God, and worthy to be acknowledged 
 by Chrift’s being raifed to that high ftation of 
 honour and glory to which he is now exalted. 
 Therefore, Chrift’s prefent exaltation and reign 
 are fpoken cf by the Apoftle, as the reward of 
 his voluntary humiliation and obedience unto 
 death. Treating on this fubjedt he fays of Chrift, 
 <f being found in fafhion as a man, he humbled 
 “ himielf and became obedient unto death, even 
 cr the death of the crofs. Wherefore God hath 
 ft highly exalted him, and given him a name 
 rt which is above every name ; that at the name 
 cc of Jefus every knee ftiould bow, of things in 
 fC heaven, and things in earth, and things under 
 rc the earth ; and that every tongue ftiould con- 
 fC fefs that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the glory 
 ff of God the Father.” 1 Chrift’s real merit of 
 the high ftation he now poftefteth, confifted, not 
 in the extremity of his fufferings, but the perfec¬ 
 tion of his obedience. It is not, ftricfly fpeak- 
 ing, for the pains he endured, but for the views 
 and temper of mind he manifefted under them, 
 that the man Jefus Chrift is raifed to univerfal 
 dominion, and has angels, men, and devils fub- 
 jedfed to his authority. 
 
 i . That God ftnould be manifeft in fleftn, and 
 
 voluntarily 
 
 1 Philip. 2,9, IO, II. 
 
CHAP. V. 
 
 7 * 
 
 voluntarily lay down his life for his people and be¬ 
 come a curfe for them, not only ftrongly attefts 
 the righteoufnefs of the divine law as a rule of 
 government ; but, abundantly proves that the 
 difpofition of the divine mind moft invariably 
 conforms to the rules of equity and righteoufnefs. 
 That this fhould be done, was a matter of infinite 
 importance to the honourable exercife of mercy. 
 It is far from being enough that the rules of di¬ 
 vine government fhould be luch as approve them- 
 felves to the confciences of men, and carry con- 
 vi&ion of their equity : But, feeing that God will 
 forever maintain the dignity and honour of his 
 own chara&er; when he was about to do fo won¬ 
 derful a thing as to pardon and favefinners, it was 
 a matter of the laft importance that he fhould ex¬ 
 hibit a character, a difpofition of mind, perfectly 
 conformable to the true fpirit of thofe rules of 
 government which he had previoufly eftablifhed. 
 Otherwife, though the law might appear juft, 
 God himfelf could not appear fp in juftifying the 
 ungodly. 
 
 But, the fcene of the fufferings of the Son of 
 God abundantly difplayed this character of Jeho¬ 
 vah, this difpofition of the divine mind; which 
 it could not have done in fuch a manner as 
 to lay a foundation for mercy to finners, had 
 not the character, the obedience of the Mediator* 
 been abfolutely fpotlefs and perfefh 
 
 However voluntary Chrift was in laying down 
 his life , the hand and agency of the Father are 
 neverthelefs, by no means to be overlooked in this 
 remarkable event. Though the Son made his 
 foul an offering for fin> the Father bruifed him* 
 put him to griefj and laid on him the iniquity of 
 L us 
 
• 7.2 
 
 CHAR V. 
 
 >js air*; ' - the- hand and the agency of God were 
 •a* truly confpicuoilS, and his providence as abtive, 
 in bbftging fuffering, diftrefs and death on the 
 Son of his love ; as in any evil he doth, or ever 
 will, bring, on flrfneus. Chrift buffered as much 
 by the decree^ the determinate counfel of God, 
 -as'-ihvpenitent' fiftrters will do hereafter. And in 
 thi-fr active providence,. in that aitonifhing event, 
 God-' ufl-ed for MS-t>wn glory, and dcfignediy.ex¬ 
 hibited his own intiwitelyexcellent • character, as 
 i'6 ally as in the .final perdition of impenitent fin- 
 nets’. Yesf, and he evidently defigned that the 
 -fame righteous regard to his holy law, to good 
 -order and government, fhoukl appear and fhine 
 in the former event as in the latter. 
 
 ■ . Jf he.- cf/e being thus, iyis.eafy .to lee that, tin- 
 k*7jhe moral egaracter of Chrift had heen.abfo- 
 iuteiy {>cr£ec t that-exhibitian of divine righteouf- 
 t «?&, -yhiep w-as made in his fvjffgrings and death, 
 cfyftfty-fford no ijnoryjeafon for mercy to (iptiers, 
 than that w-nich is made in the deftru&ion.of* fin- 
 rers themfeives. l or a manifeftation of righte- 
 j<mf&slYi'n ‘bringuvgieVil tu^on one whole moral 
 m-karahter is not -peVfeft, is fo far'frorri exhibiting 
 -Yteafon'why the wicked ihouid go. jonpunifhed, 
 fhat it rather inforceth the neceffiry of their pu- 
 /Fdhment, ■ Therefore, that the fufferingsof Chrift 
 •might be -fuck a ’manifeftation of divine righte- 
 oufnefs as would Open the way £o\ God to .appear 
 juft injviftifyjng the. ungodly, it was of abfojute 
 kitnoFtance that he’hi'mfelf ibouMbe without fin, 
 and that guile jfuxlld not be fofind in his mouth. 
 
 . Then his taking the curfe upon himlelf, and the 
 Father's laying it on him, will be io bright a cif- 
 
 1 lay or divine rightecufnefs,- as #5 render God’s 
 
 yfiupmi »&. uM not,.. .urn; , regard q 
 
 . * Ijaiah , 53. 6 , 10.^ 
 
CHAP. V. 
 
 H 
 
 regard to law, to .good order and government, 
 glorioufly confpicuous in the:exercife of mercy to 
 Rich as penitently fly for refuge to the Saviour of 
 the world. 
 
 If it be admitted, that God’s regard particularly 
 to the penal part of his law was defignedly mant- 
 fe,fled in the fufferings and death of Chrift; it is 
 eafy to fee that this regard to the law would tie* 
 come confpi'cuous in proportion to the dignity 
 and excellency, of him who fullered. For, as on 
 the. one hand, wc eftiijnate the benevolence that 
 is expreffed in • the beflowment of good, partly 
 by the meannefs and unworthinefs of the fubjett 
 on"whorn it ; is conferred ; fo, on the other, the de¬ 
 gree of difpleafure-which is expreffed in bringing 
 eVit,-ft €ftimited':gready by ithe dignity and -ex- 
 lency of the perfo'n on whom it falls. The fame 
 meafure of natural evil, the fame quantity of 
 paia is. expreffive of very different degrees of 
 tiifpieafure, according to me difference of Cha- 
 radeef : ahd dignify 1 -in 1 the'- perfbn on whom it' is 
 lnfiiifeed. For a Kind t6 idiprifo'n his Son for a 
 crime, awes his.fubjeas rriorF tliafi the execution 
 of a common felon, and may do nridrC to effablifli his 
 authority, and gain refpedl to !>is government. 
 The reafon is, that his regards. to the rights of 
 liis government are more ftrongiy' painted in the 
 former cafe, than in the latter. So for God to 
 infiiiSl pain upon a mere man, would naturally 
 exprefs difpleafure to fpe&ators : But in the fame 
 degree of natural evil brought on him who is his 
 ‘fellow, his anger would glow in brighter and 
 more awful colours, and Unite the fpedtators with 
 a reverence and fear which the other inftance 
 could not beget. 
 
 Therefore, 
 
74 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Therefore, the abfolute perfection, as well 
 as dignity of the moral character of Chrift, 
 ■when he was about to offer up his life as a facri- 
 fice for the fins of the world ■, were of the utmoft 
 importance to the acceptablenefs of his offering, 
 and the manifeftation it was neceffary fhould be 
 fnade of God’s righteous difpleafure againft thofe 
 for whom he died. For without this abfblute 
 perfection, and high dignity, of the character of 
 the Saviour, his death on the crofs would not 
 have been a glafs in which the divine purity could 
 have been difcovered with fuflicient clearnefs, 
 while he exercifed mercy toward finners. 
 
 3. The perfect obedience of Chrifl, and that 
 even unto death, and the fpotlefs purity of his 
 moral character, were abfolutely neceffary to pre* 
 pare him for interceding with the Father for 
 linners. 
 
 The dignity and excellency of the interceffer’s 
 character, add weight, and give importance to 
 }iis intercefiion. It is more honourable to a 
 Prince to pardon, upon the intercefiion of fome 
 jlluftrious perfon, than on that of one of his me¬ 
 nial fervants. And when the penalty for the re- 
 mifiion of which intercefiion is made, is perfectly 
 deferred ; and the honour of the fovereign is 
 concerned in teftifying againft it) it is neceffary 
 that the intercefiion itfelf ihould carry in it the 
 fulleft acknowledgments, both of the righteoui- 
 nefs of the judge, and the juftice of the punifti- 
 ment. For without this the intercefiion itfelf 
 might juftly be interpreted as a reflection on the 
 £ vereign, and a vindication of the criminal. 
 This being the cafe the interceffor naturally, in 
 borne fenfe, puts on the character arid takes the 
 pbce 01 aun who is condemned. 
 
 But 
 
CHAP. V. 
 
 75 
 
 But when we confider the glorious and infi¬ 
 nite maj.edy of God, on one hand ■, and the ex¬ 
 treme guilt and inexpreffible vilenefs of the (in¬ 
 ner, on the other; we can’t but fee the abfolute 
 importance of the fulled acknowledgments, both 
 of God’s righteoufnefs, and the finner’s guilt, 
 in him who fteps in as a mediator between them; 
 however dignified he be in his own perfonal cha¬ 
 racter. None but a perfon of the mod exalted 
 character would be equal to the weight of fuch a 
 mediation. And one who fuitably edimated the 
 infinitely different characters, qualities and dati- 
 ons of the beings, between whom he was to me¬ 
 diate a peace, would never prefume to appear 
 before the great God without the fulled teftimo- 
 nials of a high and perfect fenfe of the divine 
 righteoufnefs on one hand, and the extreme guilt 
 and wickednefs of the finner, on the other. But 
 how could thefe teftimonials be fo well obtained, 
 and where could fuch views in the Saviour, both 
 of God’s righteoufnefs, and the finner’s guilt, be 
 fo drongly painted, as in his obedience unto 
 death, and that even the death of the crofs ? in 
 this view of the matter, nothing like the death 
 fcf Chrid, could pave the way for him to the Fa¬ 
 ther : And nothing like his own blood could give 
 weight to his interceffion. 
 
 For fo illudrious a perfon as the infinite Re¬ 
 deemer, to exemplify his regards to the honour 
 of God and his law^ by a mod perfecd obedience 
 under the mod unparalleled bufferings, even unto 
 death, and his fenfe of the finner’s ill defert, by 
 appearing before the eternal God in his own blood ; 
 mud wonderfully qualify him for fo important a, 
 mediation; and above every thing, give weight 
 to his interceffion. It is no wonder that God 
 
 doe? 
 
7.6 
 
 dMfb v. 
 
 does not reject an inter-ceinoVi which does fuch 
 honor to his lav/ and go'/emme-nt, and makes his 
 character appear fo glorious in the exercifes of 
 mercy to tinners. 
 
 Thus we fee how a perfon of Chnft'Y moll 
 excellent character prepared ffimfelf for ailing 
 the part of an interceffor. for tinners ; and the 
 trying feenes he voluntarily v/ent through, to 
 quality htmfelf for fo weighty and important an 
 office. And all this -was neceflary to render hini- 
 felf acceptable in the eyes of the Father, in cha- 
 rafter of mediator ; and to gain an audience in a 
 caufe of fuch a nature as that which he had un¬ 
 dertaken. 
 
 CHAPTER, VI. 
 
 Showing the ends which are anjweredhy the suf¬ 
 ferings of Chrifi ; and what is the language 
 and import of them. 
 
 A S none of the providences of God are with¬ 
 out their inffruition ; evils and .calamities 
 have a language, an import, as well as other 
 difpenfations. And if there be a language in the 
 fufferings which are brought on moral beings, 
 greater degrees of diffrefs and pain are moreTig- 
 nificant than fmaller ones ; and expreffive of 
 higher emotions in him who inflicts them. Al¬ 
 though, therefore, it be admitted that the-end 
 and import of the fufferings of CHrift cannot be 
 collected merely from their greatnefs : this, how¬ 
 ever, is a confiderati-on which may not be with¬ 
 out its ufe, in.inv.eftigating a fubject of fo much 
 importance. Greatnefs of fufferings gives a co¬ 
 louring to things, which is not found in fmaller 
 
 degrees 
 
CHAP.,VI. 
 
 77 
 
 degree? of diffrefs: -and naturally raifes and .heigh¬ 
 tens tl\e fotas, both with refpeff to the avenger, 
 and the patient. , hr. 
 
 Were the fnfFe rings of Chriff no more, nor 
 greater, than would naturally; and neceffarily af- 
 fe£t human, animal nature, in that trying fituati- 
 on, in'which he was placed, and,in which he ex¬ 
 pired V they would hill' ’ have a language, an 'im¬ 
 port in'fhem. But "were there iuperadded to 
 their, ■peculiar agonies and diffreffes, this molt 
 furprifiiYg event immediately puts on a diderent hue 
 and/the language of it is written in'deeper colours. 
 
 Itforder to a clearer underffanding of the de- 
 fign and import of the bufferings: of Chriff, It 
 may he of ufe to attend particularly to the 'dif- 
 criptions given of them, by the-facred writers, 
 
 • and the manner in which they are represented ; 
 that we may, from thence, be enabled to form 
 dome eftimate of their weight and greatnefs. ' 
 
 The whole life of Chriff, efpeciaily his public 
 miniftry, was a feene . of labour and Tu fieri ng,: 
 But at the clole of it his fufferings became much 
 more levere and intenfe. Accordingly, in regard 
 of /offerings, this is i’poken of w r ith an emphafis, 
 both by Chriff and his Apoffles. Thus when the 
 Jews Laid violent hands on the Saviour, he fays, 
 “ When. I was daily with you in the temple, ye 
 
 ftretched forth no hands againjl me : but this 
 “ is your hour, and the .power of darkne/s here¬ 
 by intimating that now he was in a peculiar man¬ 
 ner given up into the hands of the powers of 
 darkneis. For this reafon it manifeftly was that 
 the profped of what he had to endure when he 
 was to make his foul an offering for fin, was fo 
 
 extremely 
 
 * Luke , 22 , 5 j. 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 7 S 
 
 extremely trying and affedting to him. This laft 
 trying and affediing- feerve appeared to lie with 
 great and peculiar weight on the Saviour’s mind : 
 And he ever fpoke of it with peculiar feelings 
 and emotion. When he told his difciples rhat he 
 came to fet fire on the earth, he immediately 
 adds, <£ but I nave a baptifmto be baptifed with, 
 €t and how am I fir aliened till it be accomplijhed.” * 
 Accordingly, when he went into the garden 
 ■where he was. taken by his enemies, though juft 
 before hepoftelTed the utmoft compofnre, he was 
 immediately feized with horror, and laid to his 
 difciples, “ my foul is exceeding forrowful even 
 “ unto dcatb::[\ And this forrow broke forth into 
 this earnefl, pathetic cry, “ O my Father, if it 
 *' be pofiible-, let this cup pafs from me.” But 
 that it might not be thought that his fpirit failed 
 him, and that his foul fhrunk back from the,fuf- 
 ferings it was neceffary he fnould endure* he im¬ 
 mediately adds, ct the fpirit indeed is willing, but 
 " the flefi is weak .” 1 This feene is propheti¬ 
 cally deicribed, by the Pfalniift, in the follow¬ 
 ing manner, “ The forrows of death compafled 
 “ me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: 
 “ I found trouble and forrow. Then I called 
 “ upon the name of the Lord j O Lord, I be- 
 feech thee, deliver my foul .” 3 One Evangelift 
 relates that, upon his coming into the garden, 
 “ he began to fce fore amazed, and to be very 
 fe heavy .” 4 And, another, that upon his earned: 
 cry for deliverance if it might be the will of 
 God, an Angel was fent to him from heaven, to 
 lupport and {Lengthen him under his diftrefles: 
 And, that he -was in agony in his prayer, and his 
 Jweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down 
 
 to 
 
 * Luke, 12. 50. 1 Matt. 26. 3S, 39,41. 5 /*/. 116. 3,4. 
 
 4 Mark, 14. 33. 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 79 
 
 to the ground. 1 Soon upon this, his enemies came 
 upon him, being conduced to the place of his re¬ 
 tirement by one of his profefled friends, and took 
 him by violence, and carried him before the rulers, 
 where he fuffered the grafted indignity and abufe. 
 Here he was treated with the utmoft derifion and 
 contempt; mocked, fpit upon, and cruelly fmit- 
 ten. Finally, after fentence of death had been 
 paded. upon him, he was led out of the city, and, 
 like the vileft malefactors, nailed to the crofs. 
 There after he had hung a number of hours on 
 the accurfed tree, and endured the fore revilings 
 and cruel taunts of his enemies; as if given up 
 of God himfelf, in whom he had ever trufted, 
 he pathetically cries out, <c my God, my God, 
 why haft thou forfaken me? 1 Upon this, nature 
 itfelf finking under fo dreadful a weight, the 
 mighty Redeemer bowed his forrowful head, and 
 gave up the ghoft. The affeCting defcription 
 given us by the Pfalmift, of thefe unparalelled 
 fufferings, may aflift us in judging of their na¬ 
 ture, and eftimating their greatnefs. After this 
 manner they are prophetically defcribed ; “ my 
 “ God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me ? 
 tc why art thou fo far from helping me, and from 
 Cf the words of my roaring ? O my God, I cry 
 <c in the day time, hut thou hearefi not ; and in 
 “ the night feafon, and am not filent. But thou 
 <c art holy, O thou that inhabiteft the praifes of 
 <e Ifrael. Our fathers trufted in thee, they truft- 
 <c ed, and thou didft deliver them. They cried 
 cc unto thee, and were delivered : they trufted in 
 <c thee, and were not confounded. But 1 am 
 “ a worm t and no man j a reproach of men and 
 (C defpifed of the people. All they that fee me, 
 <e laugh me to fcorn : they Ihoot out the lip, they 
 
 M fhake 
 
 • Luke , 22. 43, 44, 4 Mat. 27, 46. 
 
to CHAP. VT. 
 
 e< fhake the head, faying, he trailed'on the Lord 
 f that he would deliver him : let him deliver him, 
 
 feeipg he delighted in him -1 am poured out 
 
 Ci like water, and all my bones are out of joint: 
 £C My heart is like wax, it is melted in the midfi of 
 cc iny how els. My ftrength is dried up like apot- 
 a fherd : my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and 
 tc fhou haft brought me into the dull of death .” 1 
 
 Ov this defcription of the fufferings of Chrift, 
 vve remark. 
 
 3. That it naturally reprefents his mifery 
 as being exceedingly great. Language can hard¬ 
 ly paint a fcene more full of horror and diftrefs; 
 or rcprefent more keen and pungent anguifn. 
 No account is given us, in any part of the Ta-cred 
 writings, of fufferings to be compared with thofe 
 of the Lord of glory. Admitting the defcription 
 to be juft, arid without a figure ; we muff necef- 
 Larilv fuppofe that pain and lorrow arofe to fuch a 
 height, in the man Jefus Chrift, as is beyond the 
 power of a mere human mind to receive. 
 
 0 . The above defcription evidently reprefents 
 the fufferings of Chrift as being peculiarly great, 
 and, attended with fome fmgular circumftances 
 which gave an edge to his forrow. The amaze- 
 merit which took hold on him before the arrival 
 of his enemies, the agony into which he fell while 
 in the garden, and his repeated and fervent im- 
 portun'kifeS that the cup he was about to drink 
 might ifpajfi-ble, pafs.from him; are, all, indica¬ 
 tions of evils in profpett, far greater than thofe 
 of a mere reparation of foul and body. But juft 
 before, he appeared with great calmnefs and 
 compofllre, inftituting the facrament of the fup- 
 per, and communing with his difciples in it. 
 
 But, 
 
 1 Pj. 22 I—1J. 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 But, in a few moments, without any vifible caufe 
 from any difference of external circumltances, he 
 difcovers great perturbation offpirit; and, was 
 in fuch agony of mind as was too much for na¬ 
 ture to bear. This mu ft, certainly, have arifen 
 from fome invifible caufe nor 1 can it be ac¬ 
 counted for any otherwife than by fuppofing that 
 it arole from the immediate hand of God. Tlaefe 
 circumltances would naturally fuggell to the dif- 
 ciples,that there was fomething far more trying to 
 the mighty Saviour, in that fcene of bufferings 
 that was before him, than either the mere indig¬ 
 nity he fullered from men, or the pangs of natu¬ 
 ral death. The pains of death were, foon after, 
 fuffered by his difciples, without any fuch com¬ 
 plaint : And, the profpeft of fuffering death for 
 the fake of Chrift, and in his caufe, was fp far 
 from being terrifying and diftreffmg, that it was 
 rather joyful and comforting to them. Accor¬ 
 dingly, when the Lord feat Ananias, toSaul ;J af¬ 
 terwards called Paul, to perform a miraculous 
 cure upon him.; he cells him, that this Saul was 
 a chofen veffel unto the Lord, to bear his name 
 among the gentiles ; and fays, ” I will .Lew him 
 ec how great things he muft fiuffer for my name’s 
 fake.” 1 The ftrong crying and tears, there¬ 
 fore, of the Saviour, and the mighty agonies into 
 which he fell before his death ; together with his 
 mp ft a hefting exclamation on the crofs, ” My 
 God, my God, why halt thou forfaken me !” 
 when compared with the patience, ferenity and 
 fortitude with which his difciples afterward fuf 
 fered death. for his fake ; mu.ft ftrongly indicate 
 diftrefs and pains peculiar to Urn who made his 
 foul an offering for fin. Be the occafion, orefpe- 
 ;ial realon of thefe.iijfffrings what it may, it is 
 
 nevertheiefs 
 
 * Alts, 9, s6. 
 
82 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 neverthelefs manifeft that there was fomethir.g 
 very peculiar in the fufferings themfelves; and 
 that they had an unparrallelled ftiarpnefs in them. 
 What can be more difhonourable to the character 
 and dignity of Chrift, efpecially as he is held 
 forth as the moft perfect pattern of meeknefs, and 
 patience under fufferings ; than to fuppofe his 
 -diftrefs and anguifh did not rife to an height far 
 exceeding any thing that was ever endured by a 
 mere man ? We have no other way to reconcile 
 his bitter cries and complaints, with that patience, 
 that quiet refignation for which he is fo much ce¬ 
 lebrated in the word of God ; than by magnify¬ 
 ing his fufferings, and heightening our ideas of 
 their weight and greatnefs. / 
 
 3- It is, therefore, natural to fuppofe that the 
 principal pains endured by the Lord of glory, in 
 that hour of darknefs, were feated particularly 
 in his mind —that the views of mind which then 
 poffeffed him, were far more diftreffing than the 
 pains of mere animal, fenfitive nature. If that 
 forfaking him of God which occafioned his bitter 
 exclamation on the crofs, was merely his being 
 given up into the power of wicked men, to be 
 put to death •, we can flill fee nothing more dread¬ 
 ful in it, than merely his fuffering the pains of 
 dying. We have, therefore, reafon to fuppofe 
 that fuch views of things, fuch a fen/e of the aw¬ 
 ful and terrible nature of divine wrath, then 
 
 * /k 
 
 crouded in upon him, and filled his pure and ho¬ 
 ly mind, as quite overwhelmed him with lorrow; 
 and, were far more infupport'able than the pangs 
 of natural death. Thus, might he be faid emi¬ 
 nently to be a man of forrows, and accquainted j 
 with grief. All the concomitant circumftances of 
 
 his 
 
 r 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 83 
 
 his death, efpecially when compared with the be¬ 
 haviour of his followers under the fufferings they 
 endured for his fake, very naturally concur to 
 fuggeft thefe apprehenfions concerning the luffer- 
 ings of Chrift. 
 
 Having thus taken a view of the fufferings 
 themfeves which our Lord underwent; in order to 
 underftand the language and import of them, we 
 may, in the firft place, confider the hand and 
 agency of God in them; and then, the evidence 
 we have of their being expreffions of divine anger. 
 
 I. We may confider the hand and agency of 
 God, in the fufferings of Chrift. Though Chrift 
 was God as well as tnan> and it was indeed GOD 
 that was manifeft in flefh; yet fo long as he was 
 in the world he adledin a fubordinate capacity, put 
 on the form of a fervant, and fubjedted himfelf to 
 the will and government of his Father who was in 
 heaven. Chrift in his whole perfon, however 
 dignified by being peculiarly and eminently the 
 Son of God, was a fervant and became obedient. 
 And every event and circumftance of his life are 
 to be attributed to the providential government 
 and difpofal of him who is only God, as their 
 caufe, as truly and in as high a fenfe as the events 
 and circumftances of the lives of mere men. 
 
 On this ground we obferve, 
 
 1. That GOD brought on the man Jefus 
 Chrift, all the evils and fufferings which he endu¬ 
 red. His hand and agency were not lefs vifible, 
 nor his power and providence lefs adtive, in bring¬ 
 ing fufferings and death on his only hegotttn Son , 
 than on finners of mankind. Nor indeed was the 
 governing providence of God lefs concurrent and 
 
 adtive, 
 
.34 
 
 CHAP. VT. 
 
 active, in bringing pain and diftrefs on the man 
 jtrills Chrift, than it is in bringing evils on im¬ 
 penitent finners, either in this world or the world 
 to come. The flame which confumed the life of 
 the Saviour, was as truly lighted up by the power 
 of God ; as that which will torment his enemies, 
 clay and night, forever and ever. This is mani- 
 feft, as well from the language in which this event 
 is lpoke-n of in the word of God; as from'the na¬ 
 ture and reafon of things. Thus it is faid, JE¬ 
 HOVAH laid on him the iniquities of us all : And 
 it pleafed JEHOVAH to bruije him and put him 
 to grief.' God alfo faith, by the prophet, rela¬ 
 tive to this event, cc Awake, O fword, againft 
 “ my Shepherd, and againft the man that is my 
 tc fellow, faith the Lord of hofts : fmite the 
 <c fliepherd, and the ftieep (hall be fcattered.” 1 
 Therefore the Apoftle Peter acknowledged: the 
 death of Chrift to be the efTe6t of the hand and 
 determinate counfel of God: And that though men 
 crucified him with wicked hands , they neverthe- 
 lefs did no more than what the hand and council of 
 God } determined to be done . 1 
 
 It would be very inconfifcent, both with rea¬ 
 fon, and the plain and natural import of thefe 
 fcripture-expreflions, to fuppofe that he who is 
 only God, the original arid fupreme Governor of 
 the world, fufpended even in the le.afc degree, 
 that agency which had Tiimefto been unremitted 
 and univerfa! : ftept afide, and flood as a mere 
 fpeclator of this horrid fcenp. If this, were the 
 cafe, how it could before, with propriety, be 
 predicted that God Jhould finite y and bru;fie y and put 
 him to grief \ and afterward be acknowledged 
 that his fufferings and death were the effedts of 
 
 the 
 
 ' L/ul. 53. 6, 10. z Zachari. 13. 7. 3 A£is, 4. 28. 
 
CHAP. VL 
 
 85 
 
 the hand and determinate counfei of God ; is not 
 eafy to be comprehended. Were it fo, that the 
 hand and power of God were lefs active in bring¬ 
 ing thofe evils on Chrift, than in any other evils 
 brought on moral beings : it is not eafy to fee 
 why Chrift, who, in charadter of mediator, al¬ 
 ways confidered himfelf as a fervant, and ac¬ 
 knowledged fubjedtion to God, Ihould yet cry 
 to Him for help and deliverance. It is evident, 
 therefore, that whatever evils were endured by 
 Chrift, were from the hand of that God between 
 whom and men he adted as mediator : All the 
 fufferings he endured, were from Hr adtive power 
 and providence ■, they were as much from the 
 hand of God, as any evils that were ever brought 
 on any of the human race. 
 
 2 . All the condudt of God, in his providen¬ 
 tial government over his creatures, is exprefiive, 
 and hath a language in it. None of the provi¬ 
 dences of God are without meaning ; but are all 
 inftrudiive and fignificant. They exhibit the 
 fame uniform and glorious charadter that is held 
 up in his word. The fame purpofes and defigns, 
 the fame molt perfedt and excellent difpofition, 
 which are expreffed in words , in the holy ferip- 
 tures, are delineated and exemplified in fatds, in 
 his providential government. The divine cha¬ 
 radter is deferibed in words , in the facred oracles; 
 and exhibited in fadts in his providence and works . 
 And the charadter itfelf is not lefs legible, nor its 
 excellencies lefs vifible or conlpicuous, in the 
 latter than in the former. The real charadter, 
 the general difpofition of the divine mind, is not 
 lefs obvious in what he does, than in what he Jays : 
 Nor could it eafily be accounted for that it (hould 
 be otherwife, while one great end of his word is, 
 
 to 
 
86 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 to explain the reafons of his conduct—the rule 
 of his providential government. And as the 
 glory of God really appears in the perfed cor- 
 refpondence of his adual government, with thofe 
 laws of his kingdom which are taught us in his 
 word; fo, every part of the divine condud to¬ 
 ward intelligent creatures, exprdTeth the fame 
 general charader v/hich is marked out ia the pro- 
 mifes and threatnings of revelation. 
 
 3. This being the cafe, it is manifefl that 
 there is no part of the divine condud toward 
 moral creatures, but what is expreflive, either 
 of his approbation of righteoujnejs, or hatred of ini¬ 
 quity. It is the glory of God that he loves right- 
 eoufnefs, and hates iniquity. This is abfolutely 
 effential to his goodnefs and love. Without this, 
 his difpofition to promote the general and the 
 greateft good, could not poflibly be perfed. 
 And if fuch a difpofition as this wholly pofiefies 
 and fills the divine mind, there can be no part 
 of the divine condud but what is expreflive of it. 
 It muft be that, in all the good, and the evil, 
 which he brings on the fubjeds of his moral go¬ 
 vernment, he invariably exhibits this mod pure 
 and perfed goodnefs : adjufting all his providen¬ 
 tial difpenfations in fuch a manner, and in fuch 
 perfed wifdom, as naturally to carry the marks 
 of it; and fenfibly to exprefs, to rational beings, 
 either his approbation of virtue, or his hatred 
 of vice. 
 
 This brings us to fhow, in the next place, 
 
 II. That the fufferings and death of Chrift 
 were expreffions of divine anger. 
 
 Thiri 
 
CHAP. VL 
 
 87 
 
 There is nothing in the word of God to lead 
 us to fuppofe that evils brought on moral beings 
 are not, in every inftance, expreftive of divine 
 anger; but a variety of things that evidently 
 prove the contrary. For, 
 
 1. The law and the promife of God, fecure 
 the innocent from every pofmve evil, every in¬ 
 felicity which doth not neceffarily refult from the 
 mere natural imperfe&ion of the creature. The 
 word of God is full of promifes to the righteous ; 
 and there is no mention any where made of evil, 
 but in cafe of tranfgreffion. God blejjed our drib 
 parents in their eftate of innocency \ and gave not 
 the leaf; intimation of any evil that fhould befall 
 them, unlefs they rebelled againft him. Such 
 was the nature of the covenant, the tenour of the 
 law, under which they were placed, that it ab- 
 folutely fecured them from every pofitive evil s 
 and particularly from fo great an evil as natural 
 dmfh 3 in cafe they perfifted in their obedience. 
 Therefore the Apoftie confidets temporal death 
 as a certain proof that the fubjeCl of it is a finner. 
 He lays, “ Wherefore as by one man Jin entered 
 “ into the world, and death by fin ; and fo death 
 “ hath paffed upofi all men, for that all have 
 <c finned .” 1 As fm brought death into the world, 
 fo this' ftill gives it univerfal dominion. As it 
 was originally a teftimony of divine anger, it ftill 
 continues to be fo. That death is a curfe is evi¬ 
 dent from this, if nothing elfe, that the death of 
 Chrijl is brought, by the infpired Apoftie, as a 
 proof that he became a curfe.* 
 
 But it is evident that the law of God fecures 
 the innocent, not only from death, but from 
 
 N every 
 
 * Ram . 5. J2. 2 See Galat , 3. 13, 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 every other pofitive evil. The Apoftle faith, 
 <c Now to him. that worketh, is the reward not 
 <c reckoned of grace, but of debt,” 3 Where 
 the obedience is perfeft, the reward is due by 
 law ; the law, under which man was originally 
 placed, fecures it; and it is not conudered as an 
 aft of grace to confer it. And if the reward here 
 fpoken of implies a deliverance from all pofitive 
 evils, andafecurity againft them ; if it intends a 
 happinefs as complete as the natural imperfefiidn 
 of the creature v/ill admit ; then, of courfe, the 
 law, the eftablifhed rule of divine government, 
 certainly fecures the innocent from every fuch 
 evil ; and aicertains to him all pofhble good. 
 Put if the divine law thus protefts the innocent, 
 and fecures him againffc evil , then all pofitive 
 evils brought on moral beings, muff certainly 
 proclaim divine anger, and prove that fome ini¬ 
 quity hath taken place. 
 
 If the law of God doth not certainly fecure 
 the- innocent from all evils ; if there are evils to 
 which fuch may be expofed and fubjefted, which, 
 neyerthele.fs, are not the objefts of a cnrje, and 
 that too the curfe of God’s law ; there is no fe- 
 curity that they who are redeemed, by Chrijl fhall 
 ever be delivered from all evil ; becaufe his re¬ 
 demption is effeftual to deliver only from the curfe 
 of the law. Chrift hath redeemed his people 
 from the airje of the law-, but from no other 
 evils than fuch as they are doomed to by this curfe. 
 If, therefore, the,/sty doth not fecure the inno¬ 
 cent from evil and bufferings, neither doth the 
 go/pel, the believer. And, of courfe^ if natural 
 evils and bufferings are not invariable teftimonies 
 of divine difpleaiurc j we neither fhould have 
 
 >. • had 
 
 3 Rom. 4. 4. 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 89 
 
 had a ny fecurity a gain (I them, had we remained 
 innocent j nor can we now obtain any fecurity 
 againft them by being interested in the redemption 
 ■purchafed by Chrifi. Yet we iind it exprefsly de¬ 
 clared, concerning thofe who are redeemed by 
 Chrift, that cc God fhall wipe away all tears from 
 “ their eyes ; and there fhall be no more death, 
 (i neither forrow, nor crying, neither fhall there 
 
 be any more pain for the former things are 
 “ palled away.” 1 Accordingly, 
 
 2. Positive evils, we find, are invariably 
 
 the fubjedts of a threat,ning : with rhefe God 
 threatens his enemies. There is no evil to which 
 human nature is fubjedted in the prefent world, 
 or to which men are expofed in the future, but 
 what is comprifed in fome one of the threatnings 
 of the word of God. Therefore, though peace and 
 happinefs are promifed to the righteous, the Lord 
 proclaims, (c Wo unto the wicked, it fhall be ill 
 cc with him ; for the reward of his hands fnall be 
 cc given him.” 1 And, it is of great importance 
 that we view the liibjedt in this light, in order 
 that we may be convinced, that the evils we dif¬ 
 fer in this life, are indeed fo many tefl'imonies of 
 God’s righteous difpleafure againft us. God ne¬ 
 ver threatens evils excepting in the cafes of of¬ 
 fence ; and, never brings evils in the execution 
 of the great and original laws of his kingdom 
 but on thofe who tranfgrefs. And, if this be true, 
 it manifeftly proves that all poftive evils are cer^ 
 tain expreffions of divine anger. But, 
 
 3. The holy. Scriptures clearly and very evi¬ 
 dently teach us that the fufterings and death 
 of Chrift were expreffions of divine anger. By 
 the Prophet Zechariah, God calls upon his fword 
 
 to 
 
 * Rev. 21, 4. a Ifai. 3. 11, 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 99 
 
 to awake againft Chrift, and ccmmiffions it to 
 take away his life in the following words, “Awake, 
 “ O fword, againft my fhepherd, and againft 
 “ the man that is my fellow, faith the Lord of 
 “ hofts : Jmite the fnepherd, and the fheep fhall 
 “ be fcattered—-” 1 That Chrift is the fhep¬ 
 herd here fpoken of, is evident from this, that he 
 was many times prophefied of under that title; and 
 frequently ftiled himfelf the Jhepherd, the true 
 Jhepherd , while he was upon earth; and had that 
 title often given him, by the Apoftles, after his 
 afcenfion. And, that the words under confide- 
 ration had reference to the death of Chrift, and 
 were an exprefs prediction of it, is manifeft from 
 the application which he, himfelf, makes of them, 
 on the night on which he was betrayed. When 
 Chrift went out to the mount of Olives, after the 
 inftitution of the facramental fupper, he fays to his 
 difciples “ All ye fhall be offended becaufe of me 
 “ this night: for it is written, I will finite the 
 <f fhepherd, and the fheep of the flock fhall be 
 “ fcattered:” 1 And this we find no where written 
 but in thepaffage before us. Here, then, God calls 
 upon his own fword to awake againft Chrift, and 
 to finite him. And, this is evidently the language, 
 the expreffion, of righteous indignation. God’s 
 Jword is that by which he executes vengeance: 
 As the jus gladii among the Romans, the /word 
 of the civil magiftrate, means his authority to ex¬ 
 ecute punifhments. Thereforethe Pfalmift faith, 
 <c God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry 
 “ with the wicked every day. If he turn not, 
 
 (that is, if the wicked turn not,) he (God,) 
 “ will whet his Jword ; he hath bent his bow, 
 <c and made it ready. Fie hath alfo prepared for 
 
 “ him 
 
 ’ Zccbar. 13. 7. 1 Matt. z6. 31, 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 9 * 
 
 “ him the inftrument of death : he ordaineth his 
 “ arrows again(l theperfecutors.” 1 And the Apof- 
 tle urgeth the fear of the civil magiflrate on this 
 confideradon that he “ beareth not the Jword in 
 t£ vain, but is the minifter of God, a revenger to 
 cc execute wrath upon him that doth evil.” 2 
 Hence it is evident that God’s Jword is ufedin the 
 execution of vengeance: Nor, is it ever made 
 life of in any other way. The Jword he made ufe 
 of, when he fmote Chrift, was more efpecially, 
 the cruel and perfidious Jews. Accordingly, we 
 find that David ftiles wicked men God’s Jword, 
 Thus he prays, “ Arife, O Lord, difappoint him, 
 £S caft him down 5 deliver my foul from th twick- 
 il ed which is thy Jword .” 3 And this prayer, we 
 have reafon to fuppofe, David made in the Spirit, 
 perfonating Chrift, of whom he was an eminent 
 type. And, the prayer itfelf is the fame, for 
 fubftance, which Chrift, in his own peri'on, made 
 when he cried, if it be pcjfble let this cup pcfs 
 from me. Thus God made ufe of wicked men as 
 his fword againft Chrift, to finite him and take 
 away his life. 
 
 In like manner God had, before, made ufe of 
 the Affyrians as his rod to corredl and chaftife 
 the people of Ifrael. In fuch language as this 
 doth the Prophet foretel the evils which God was 
 about to bring upon his people by the hand 
 of the proud Affyrians; ci Q Affyrian, the rod 
 ,e of mine anger , and the ftaff in their hand is 
 60 mine indignation. I will fend him againft an hy- 
 ,:c pocrincal nation ; and againft the people of my 
 
 <£ wrath will I give him a charge-to tread 
 
 * e them down like the mire of the ftreets.” 41 
 When, therefore, God makes ufe of the fame in- 
 
 ftrumentSj 
 
 * Pf. 7. it, 13. 1 Rom. 13. 4. 3 Pf. 17. 13. 
 
 * Ifni . 10. 5, 6. 
 
£2 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 ftruments, wicked men , in bringing evil upon 
 Chrift that he had, again and again, made ufe of 
 in executing his wrath; when they are exprefs- 
 ly called his /word, which is never drawn but for 
 the execution of vengeance; And, when this 
 fword is exprefsly called up by God himfelf, and 
 commifiioned to finite Chrift ; the whole rule 
 and analogy of divine difpenfation, and every 
 concurring circumftance, lead us to view this af- 
 tonifhing event as an awful manifeftation of divine 
 difpleafure. All thefe confiderations being taken 
 fully into view, if we cannot read the holy anger of 
 God in the death of Jefus Chrift, it will be diffi¬ 
 cult to determine that this is written in legible 
 characters, in any evil that God has ever yet 
 brought upon men. 
 
 But, further, we are exprefsly told that Chrift 
 was made a curje. The Apoftle fays cc Chrift hath 
 <c redeemed us from t he curfe of of the law, being 
 ec made a curje for us ; for it is written, Cur fed is 
 <c every one that hangeth on a tree.” 1 Thefe 
 words plainly fuppofe that the fufferings of Chrift 
 on the tree, were a fruit and manifeftation of di¬ 
 vine anger. For, 
 
 i. The curfe that Chrift fuffiered, or was 
 made, was none other than the curfe of God. 
 The words which the Apoftle quotes in proof of 
 Chrift’s being made a curfe, are thefe, For he 
 that is hanged , (on a tree) .is accurjed of God. 
 And, if Chrift’s being crucified, and hanged on 
 a tree, are a proof that he was made a curfe s 
 they are equally a proof that the curfe which he 
 was made, was the curfe of God . For, every one 
 that was hanged on a tree, was accurfed of God ; 
 Chrift’s being hung upon a tree was a proof that 
 
 he 
 
 1 Gala!. 3, 13. 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 93 
 
 he was made a curfe ; and therefore, a proof that, 
 if he was made any curfe, it was the. curfe of God -— 
 if he fuffered, or endured any curfe , he fuffered 
 and endured the curfe of God. 
 
 2 . We know of no other curfe of God, than 
 what is threatned in his holy law. God in- 
 fiifts, or executes, no curfes but fuch as are 
 denounced in his law. The holy fcriptures, 
 certainly, know of no other curfe, and treat 
 of no other curfes that are ever, either de¬ 
 nounced, or executed, by the Deity, than thofe 
 which are penalties of the law, and with which 
 the breakers of the law are threatned. 
 
 Therefore, 
 
 3. Christ’s buffering the curfe of God, was 
 his buffering the curfe of the law. If Chrift en¬ 
 dured the curfe of God, and the holy fcriptures 
 know of no other curfe of God than the curfe of 
 the law : it plainly follows that Chrift endured, 
 of was made, the curfe of the law. And that 
 it was the curfe of the law that Chrift was made, 
 is manifeftly implied in the words under confider- 
 ation. The Apoftle faith that Chrift hath re¬ 
 deemed us from the curfe of the law , being made 
 a curfe for us. He was then treating of the curfe 
 of the law and no other : He had juft laid that as 
 many as are of the works of the law , are under 
 the curfe. And then afferts, that it is from the 
 curfe of the law that Chrift hath redeemed us. 
 From this curfe Chrift redeems his people by be ¬ 
 ing made a curfe for them : Which evidently im¬ 
 plies that it was the curfe of the law that Chrift 
 was made. There is not here given the leaft 
 hint of any other curfe ; nor any thing faid to 
 lead the thoughts to any other, or luggeft the 
 .moft diftant idea of any other. And as an evi¬ 
 dence 
 
94 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 dence that Chrift, who, it was well known, had 
 been hanged on a tree, was made a curfe the 
 Apoftle quotes a pafiage from the old teftament 
 in which it is afferted that he who is hanged on a 
 tree is accurjed cf God , and applies it to Chrift. 
 This makes it mamfeft that the curfe of God, which 
 is the curje of the law , was laid upon Chrijl : And 
 by bis being made this curje , he redeemed his 
 people from the curfe of the law. The particle 
 for , with which the Apoftle introduceth the text 
 from the Mofaic law, plainly Ihows that the paf- 
 fage is not exegetical , nor brought with defign to 
 explain the nature of the curfe which Chrift was 
 made ; but to prove that he v/as indeed made a 
 curfe. Or fhould it be admitted, (which howe¬ 
 ver there, is no reafon for admitting) that the 
 Apoftle defigned, in thofe laft words, to let us 
 know what the curfe was which Chrift endured ; 
 frill it will be evident that he v/as made a curje in 
 which God manifefted his anger : And, therefore, 
 that the fufferings and death ol Chrift were indeed 
 exprefllons of divine anger. It therefore fol¬ 
 low's, that the fcriptures plainly teach us that the 
 fruits cf divine clifpleafure were endured by Chrift* 
 efpecially when he hung upon the tree. 
 
 Some have ftrppofed that to reprefent Chrift as 
 enduring the curfe of the law, would neceftarily 
 involve in it the idea of his being a finner, and of 
 his feeling thofe horrors and that deipair which 
 are peculiar to ftnners. And this fuppofition is 
 founded on an apprehenfton that Jpiritual death 
 is a great, if not principal part of the curfe of 
 the law. But this is a fuppofition quite without 
 foundation. Spiritual death , as the phrafe is 
 commonly ufed, means a perfort’s being perfectly* 
 under the dominion and power of fin or to ex- 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 95 
 
 prefs it in fcripture-language, being dead in trefpaffes 
 and fins : which is the fame as his being wholly 
 and totally a /inner. But this furely can with no 
 propriety be confidered as a curfe upon the finner. 
 Sin is voluntary ; it is what-is chofen by the finner; 
 and is not the curfe itfelf, but that which expofes 
 to it, and incurs it. It would be ftrange that for 
 committing one fin, which muft be a voluntary 
 aft, God fhould threaten the finner with commit¬ 
 ting another, which muft be equally voluntary ; 
 and make this the penalty of the former—the 
 curfe to be endured for it. At this rate, the 
 penalties of the law could not poftibly be any 
 terror to the finner. 
 
 The penalties cf the law, therefore, muft of 
 neceftity, and in the nature of things, be natural 
 evils, not moral. By bringing natural evil it is, 
 that God exprefteth his difpleafure againft moral t 
 Natural evils are punifhments, but moral are not: 
 The former , therefore, and only the former, are 
 the fanftions, or curfes of the law. So that 
 Chrift’s enduring the curfe of the law, would by 
 no means imply that he was a finner ; that God 
 was angry with Chrift ; or that Chrift felt thofe 
 fenfations of defpair, and thofe horrors of an ac- 
 cufing confcience, which will neceftarily accom¬ 
 pany, and be a bitter part of the fufferings of 
 finners, when they endure the curfe of the law. 
 
 Natural evils which exprefs the anger of God, 
 are the curfe of the law. Natural evils Chrift 
 fuffered, and thofe. to a high degree. Thefe are 
 all a curfe, and the curfe of God; and, evidently 
 reprefented as the curfe of the law. And when 
 we confider the dignity of the perfon, and the 
 excellency of the character of Chrift ; if the na- 
 O tural 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 tural evils he buffered from the hand of God, 
 were fuflacient to exprefs to the views of creatures, 
 as high a degree of divine difpleafure, as the na¬ 
 tural evils which God'brings on the finner him- 
 felfi, when he executes the curfe upon him ; it 
 can be no reflection upon Chrift; nor imply the 
 leaft defedt in his character, to confider him as 
 having endured the cur/e of the law , and in this 
 fenfe having been made a curfe for his people, 
 that they might be the righteoufnefs of God in 
 him. 
 
 But it may, perhaps, be here objeCted, that 
 cc As Chrift was infinitely far from being, him- 
 fC felf, an obieCt of the divine anger ; the natural 
 tc evils which were brought upon him were no 
 tc expreffions of divine difpleafure, either againft 
 s< him-, or again ft any other perfon. It may be 
 <c urged that God, in his providence, put the 
 <f Saviour into that trying fituation in which he 
 e< lived and died, in order to give him opportu- 
 nity to exhibit the moft exalted virtue, and 
 difplay the excellencies and glories of his own 
 tc character to the beft advantage. And if this 
 cc were the true reafon of the bufferings of Chrift, 
 the evils which he endured were fo far from 
 <f being any expreffions of divine anger, that they 
 <£ were rather marks of divine favour : And, 
 “ therefore, in all the bufferings that Chrift en- 
 t( dured, great and terrible as they are, we can 
 <c behold nothing more than marks of favour and 
 c< honour to the perfon of Chrift. 
 
 In anfwer to this objection it may be replied, 
 that the idea of the end of Chrift’s fufferings con¬ 
 tained in the objection before us, however natu¬ 
 ral it may be thought to be in itfelf, is far from 
 
 correfponding 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 97 
 
 correfponding with the representations given of it 
 by the inspired writers. The Scriptures teaeh us 
 that God’s ftword was awakened and drawn againft 
 Chrift—that he was made a curfe ; and that this 
 curfe was the cur/e of God. Here he is represented 
 as being made a fin-offering —being bruifted and 
 put to grief by Jehovah , and wounded for our tranff 
 greffions. And this is language never made life 
 of in the holy Scriptures, to paint divine compla¬ 
 cency and favour. Swords are not drawn againft 
 any one for any other purpofe than that of expreff- 
 ing difpleafure. Favours are not ufually confer¬ 
 ee! at the point of the fword. And if the evils 
 which were brought on Chrift, are to be consi¬ 
 dered in no other light than that of divine favours 
 to the perfon who Suffered ; we can fee no pro¬ 
 priety in their being called a curfe , the curfe of 
 God , &c. If the Sufferings of Chrift were only 
 marks of divine favour , and as it were the peft of 
 honour given to the great Captain of falvation ; 
 this idea would have been much more eafy and 
 naturally conveyed by other and very different 
 expreffions from thofe that are made ufe of in the 
 Sacred writings. It is hard to fee how this would 
 authorife us to confider Chrift as being made a 
 curfe , and being pierced by God’ s Sword, the Sword 
 of divine vengeance. The poft of honour is ne¬ 
 ver confidered as the curfe of him who appoints to 
 it : especially when that appointment is a mark 
 of dift in Elion and favour. And if the curfe which 
 Chrift was made is not a token of divine anger; 
 if the fword of God which was awakened and 
 drawn againft Chrift , and which aftually executed 
 him, and took away his life ; did not exprefs 
 divine anger ; a doubt may immediately arife 
 whether God’s curfe in any cafe whatever really 
 
 exprefseth 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 & 
 
 exprefteth anger. If, in that cafe, it expreffed 
 nothing more than kind purpofes toward the Sa¬ 
 viour, where will be the evidence that, in any 
 other cafe, it exprefteth any thing mere than 
 kind, benevolent purpofes toward the lufferer ? 
 If the curje of God, the cur/e of the law , when laid 
 upon Chrift, was no mark of divine difpleafure ; 
 no evils, no fufferings whatever, merely from 
 their being the curfe of God, and the curfe of 
 the law, will exhibit divine anger. And of 
 courfe the curfes, the fanftions of the law, do 
 not hold out divine indignation to view. 
 
 The word of God is the authority by which we 
 are to determine, both the end and the import of 
 the fufferings of Chrift. And, when we are here 
 taught that Chrift, in dying, was made a curfe — 
 that he was made fo by Jehovah—that this curfe 
 which he was made was the curfe of God; if the 
 curfes of God, and of his law, hold out anger 
 and indignation to view, it cannot conftftently 
 be denied that the fufferings and death of Chrift 
 were indeed expreftions of divine anger. Accor¬ 
 dingly, the redemption of Chrift’s people is con- 
 ftantly and abundantly attributed, in the holy 
 l'criptures, to the fufferings , the death , the blood 
 of the Saviour ; and, by his being made a curje , 
 are they redeemed from the curfe of the law. 
 
 Further ; in confirmation of this view of the 
 fufferings of Chrift, as being expreftive of the 
 anger of God againft fin, it is worthy of notice 
 that the virtue of his atonement is conftantly fet 
 to the fcore of his fufferings , both by Chrift hirn- 
 feIf, and by his apoftles. Thus Chrift fays, 
 <c As Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the wilder- 
 <c nefs, even fo miifi: the Son of man be lifted up; 
 
 “ that 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 99 
 
 <£ that whofoever believeth on him fhould not 
 t£ perifh, but have eternal life.” 1 Again; <c And 
 “ I, if I be lifted up from the earth , will draw all 
 ££ men unto me.” 1 When his difciples were 
 confounded on feeing him whom they beieived to 
 be the Meffiah fuffer death ; immediately after 
 his refurrefition he reproves them in the following 
 manner, £C O fools, and flow ot heart to believe 
 ££ all that the prophets have fpoken. Ought not 
 ££ Chrift to have fujfered thefe thing s—? And he 
 C£ faid unto them, Thefe are the words which I 
 <£ fpake unto you while I was yet with you, that 
 <c all things mu'-t be fufilled which were written 
 ££ in the law of Mofes, and in the prophets, and 
 “ in the plalms concerning me. And faid unto 
 <£ them, thus it is written, and thus it behoved 
 “ Chrift to fuffer and to rife from the dead on the 
 <c third day.” 3 Accordingly, the efficacy of the 
 atonement made by Chrift is conftantly reprefen- 
 ted as being in his blood. Speaking of Chrift, the A- 
 poftlefays, ££ In whom we have redemption through 
 “ his blood , the fofgivenefs of fins, according to 
 tc the riches of his grace.” 4 And, the Apoftle 
 again faith that ££ without foedding of blood there 
 tc is no remiftion.” 5 Therefore it is that ££ the 
 “ blood of Chrift cleanfeth from all fin:” 6 And, 
 the robes of faints are faid to be mads white in 
 the blood of the Lamb . 7 
 
 Christ’s obedience unto death was infinitely 
 pleafing to the Father; and, as hath been before 
 obferved, of infinite importance. Without this, 
 his fufferings and death could have been no atone¬ 
 ment for fin. And, for his obedience unto death it 
 is that He is highly exalted, and hath a name gi¬ 
 ven 
 
 1 John, 3, 14, 15, 1 John , 12, 32. 3 Luke , 24. 25, 
 96, 44, 46. * Ephef. 1.7. 5 Heb. 9, 22. 6 John, j. 7. 
 1 Rev. 7. 14, 
 
IOO 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 ven him which is above every name. ’ Yet the 
 obedience of Chrift, important and glorious as it 
 was, is never once fpoken of as making atonement: 
 Nor, are his difciples ever reprefented as being 
 purged and faved by his obedience ; but, invaria¬ 
 bly, by his blood, his bufferings and death. 
 
 Now, if the whole efficacy of the death of 
 Chrift as an atonement for the fins of the world, 
 ccnfffted in the perfection of his ferjonal obedi¬ 
 ence ; we know not how to account for it that this 
 efficacy of it to cleanfe from fin, fhould be con- 
 ftantly reprefented in figurative language, and 
 that too, when the idea of the perfection of this 
 obedience is not, at all, heightened by the figure 
 made ufeof to exprefs it but would have been, at 
 leaft, as perfectly clear and intelligible, had it been 
 faid that his people were redeemed by his obedience 
 unto death. Figurative language is not made ufe 
 of, in the holy feriptures, unlefs it be where ths 
 ideas to be conveyed by it, are defigned to be lefs 
 obvious than if expreffed in plainer terms; or, 
 with a view to give them greater clearnefs and 
 perfpicuity. But, if the bufferings and death of 
 the Saviour vrere of no other importance, as an 
 atonement for fin, than as a teftimony of the pCr- 
 feClion and height of his obedience; it is hard to 
 be accounted for, that the holy Ghoft fhould con- 
 ftantly reprefent the efficacy of the atonement as 
 being in the death, the bjood of Chrift: And much 
 more fo, that he fhould fpeak of Chrift as being a 
 fai-effering) and his death as being a a curje—the 
 curje cfGcdy and the effeCt of God’s fword drawn 
 again ft him, and commiffioned to fmite and ex¬ 
 ecute him ; and, in this way reprefent Chrift as 
 falling a victim to divine juftice. 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 ioi 
 
 These confideratlons, it is apprehended, fuf- 
 ficiently (how that there was fome further end to 
 be anfwered by the Jufferings and death of Chrift 
 than a mere exhibition of the Jirength and -perfecti¬ 
 on of his perfonal obedience : And, that this , would , 
 by no means warrant that mode of expreflion 
 which is frequently and abundantly made ufe of, 
 by the infpired writers, in treating this important 
 lubjedt. To fuppofe that the death of Chrift an¬ 
 fwered no other end than to illuftrate his obedi¬ 
 ence, would, certainly, imply that the figures 
 made ufe of in reprel'enting it, are bold and 
 ftrong beyond any parallel to be found in the 
 whole word of God; and that the images 
 glow in colours in which it was never de- 
 figned they fhould be viewed. While, on 
 the other hand, the foregoing obfervations, as 
 would be but natural to fuppofe, was in fadl the 
 the cafe, evidently bring into view the FATHER 
 as fitting to hold the rights of government, while 
 the SON was adling the part of a fervant ; and 
 having himfelf a glorious and awfully majefdc 
 part to aft, while a fin-offering is made by Chrift, 
 we behold the high “and holy charadter of KIM 
 to whom it is made ; and, fee the awful manifef- 
 tations of that divine difpleafure, the exhibitions 
 of which can no more be fupprefled, than God 
 himfelf can ceafe to be infinitely holy; or can be 
 reftrained from exprefling, in his government 
 over a fallen world* 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
102 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 In which it is Jhown that the anger of Gcd which 
 appeared, and was exprejfed, in the Jufferings 
 of Chrijl ; was really agaihfi finners. 
 
 O O M E have apprehended that it is impoffible 
 o the fufFerings of an innocent perfon, fhouid 
 exprefs anger againft the guilty; And, on this 
 ground have fuppofed it abfurd to confider Chrift 
 as, in any fenfe, a Jubfiitute. , in his fufferings, 
 for finners. Therefore againft the idea of atone¬ 
 ment being made by the fufferings of Chrift, it is 
 objected that Cf we cannot comprehend how the 
 puniftiment, or fufferings of an innocent perfon, 
 tc fhouid exprefs difpieafure againft the guilty.” 
 
 f 
 
 This objection implies that it is effential to 
 the character of God, that in his providential 
 government, he fhouid treat every one according 
 to his own character and deferts : And that as far 
 as natural good and evil, brought on moral be¬ 
 ings, exprefs the divine approbation, or the con¬ 
 trary j the glory of God, and the redtitude of hris 
 government requires that he confer only good on 
 the righteous, and evil on the vicious. On this 
 hypothefis, therefore, either one or the other of 
 the following things muft be true : viz. 
 
 i. That it is inconfiftent with the character of 
 God, and the redtitude and glory of his govern¬ 
 ment, to exercife mercy to finners in delivering 
 them from the the natural evils their tins deferve. 
 For, according to the objection before us, in 
 the rewards and punifhments of the future world, 
 God only expreffeth his approbation and difap- 
 probation of the feveral characters of the different 
 
 perfons 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 103 
 
 perfons who are the fubjecls of them. If it be 
 impoffible for God to exprefs difpleafure againft 
 finners > by bringing natural evil on Chrifi ; it 
 mull be equally irnpoffible for God to exprefs ap¬ 
 probation of the character of Chrifi , by confering 
 natural good on finners. If God can intelligibly 
 exprefs his approbation of the obedience of Chrifi 
 by confering blejfings on finners; he can intelligi¬ 
 bly exprefs his abhorrence of the difobedience of 
 men, by laying the curfe on Chrifi, The objec¬ 
 tion fuppofeth it abfurd that there fhould be an 
 interchange of perfons, between Chrifi and fin¬ 
 ners, as to the blejjing and the curfe of obedience 
 and the reverfe. And if this be abfurd, the fal- 
 vation of finners is not to be confidered as the 
 reward of Chrifi' s obedience ; but of their own 
 penitence and return to their duty. And confe- 
 quently the defign of Chrifl’s coming into the 
 world, could be no more than to bring the good 
 news that penitence fhall obtain pardon ; and of 
 his death, to feal the truth of it with his blood. 
 On this fuppofition all the blefiings that will ever 
 be confered on the followers cf Chrifi, in the fu¬ 
 ture world, are to be confidered only as fo many 
 marks of the divine approbation of their charac¬ 
 ters : And there is no other meritorious caufe of 
 the falvation of finners, than their own penitence 
 and return to their duty. This, it is eafy to fee, 
 at once excludes every idea of gofpel mercy , and 
 of the meritorious righteoufnefs of Chrifi as a 
 ground of the falvation of finners. If the falva¬ 
 tion of finners be only a reward of their own pe¬ 
 nitence and obedience, all ideas of go/pel-grace 
 are wholly excluded. For, it is a maxim of the 
 gofpel that, to him that worketh, the reward’ is 
 not reckoned of grace , but of debt,'- 
 
 P If 
 
 ‘ Rem. 4. 4. 
 
104 
 
 CHAP. VI 
 
 If it be effential to the glory of God that, in 
 the good and evil he brings on his creatures, he 
 fhould treat every one according to his deierts : 
 the confequence is that, in his providential go¬ 
 vernment in difpenfing bleffings and evils, he 
 never doth, in fact, exprefs any difpleafure, in 
 any way whatever, againd thofe Who are veflels 
 of mercy. From no natural evil whatever, no 
 adverfity or bufferings, are we authorifed to con- 
 -clude that there is, or ever was, in the divine 
 mind, the lead difpleafure againd them for any 
 fin they ever committed againd God. 
 
 On this fuppofition it is manifeft that it is not 
 effential to the glory of God, and the reclitude of 
 that government which he is actually exercifing 
 over men, that he ever fhould exprefs difpleafure 
 againd us, for any of our condudf, by bringing 
 ■natural evil upon us. For, if, in conddcncy 
 with the redtitude of this government, he may 
 fave a part of the human race without ex- 
 preffing his approbation of their conduit by any 
 natural evils whatever ; it is evident that the glo¬ 
 ry of this government could not be bullied, nor 
 the redlitude of it rendered fufpicious, by a total 
 fufpenfion of p.unifhments: And, notwithdand- 
 ihg, all the wickednefs that has taken place; the 
 divine government iday appear perfectly equal 
 and glorious, if no f nner be ever punifhed. 
 
 2. If it be admitted that it is effential to the 
 glory of God, and the reditude of his govern¬ 
 ment, that his anger be in fbme way exprefied, 
 in Ins providence, againd the wickednefs of thofe 
 whom he pardons and faves, the objeclion before 
 us mud imply that divine anger againd the 
 fins of men, may be manifeded to a degree 
 
 fully 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 105 
 
 fully fufficient to fupport the honour of the go¬ 
 vernment of God, without any natural evils. 
 The objection fuppofes that the natural evils 
 brought on Chrift did not exprefs divine anger 
 againft: the fins of men; And, that , for this ob¬ 
 vious reafon, that the punifhment, or bufferings 
 of an innocent perfon, cannot exprefs difpleafure 
 againft the guilty. If, therefore, thofe natural 
 evils which were brought on the perfon of Chrift, 
 were not expreffions of divine anger againft the 
 fins- of men ; they did not in any way exprefs 
 divine anger : becaufe, it is on all hands admitted 
 that they expreffed no degree of anger againft 
 Chrift. 
 
 If, then, in the bufferings and death of Chrift, 
 God expreffed no difpleafure againft the wick- 
 eclnefs of the world: it is manifeft that, by no 
 natural evils whatever doth he exprefs > anger 
 againft finners whom he pardons and faves. 
 And therefore, whatever be the rebellion and 
 wickednefs of men, the honour and redlitude of 
 divine government by no means infer a neceffity 
 of natural evils ; but, the glory and dignity of 
 the character of God may be fully fupported with¬ 
 out the execution of puniftiments. 
 
 If, in the bufferings and death of Chrift, God 
 expreffed any degree of anger whatever; it mull 
 have been againft finners : becaufe, no degree of 
 it exifced, againft Chrift. But if, on the other 
 hand, the natural evils endured by the Saviour, 
 were no expreffions of divine anger; it mold \ 
 clearly follows that God may, confiftendy with 
 the reftitude and glory of his government, par¬ 
 don and fave finners without expre fifing by natu¬ 
 ral evils any degree of difpleafure againft them f Qi ' , 
 
 their 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 106 
 
 their fins. And, if God may do this confidently 
 with the redlitude and glory of his government ; 
 he may, alfo, confiftently with the moral laud , 
 which is the great rule of his moral govern¬ 
 ment. Fon, whatever God may do confiftent- 
 ly with the honour of his government, he may 
 aifo do, confiftently with the honour of 
 his lav/: And, of courfe, the law itfelf doth not 
 require that the finner fhould be punijbed. So 
 long, therefore, as we believe that, neither the 
 glory of the divine character, the reCtitude of his 
 government, nor the honour of his law, require 
 that finners fhould be p unified ; we cannot 
 pofiibly, with the leaft reafon, entertain any fears 
 or expectations of future punifhment: but, muft, 
 of necefiity, view all the awful threatnings of the 
 law only as fo many Jcare-crows held out to terri¬ 
 fy weak minds. 
 
 These are the obvious and neceflary confe- 
 quences of denying the necefiity of punifhment s, in 
 the divine government, when moral evil hath ac¬ 
 tually taken place. To this conclufion will the 
 fentiment that God may confiftently pardon and 
 fave finners without exprefting, by any natural evils, 
 his difpleafure againft them, evidently lead; and, 
 in this will it manifeftly terminate. 
 
 But, if it be granted, on the other hand, that 
 the honour of the divine government forbids that 
 finners fhould be pardoned and faved without 
 God’s exprefting in fojne way, by natural evils, 
 his righteous difpleafure againft them, for their 
 fins ; it muft of courfe be that this difpleafure be 
 exprefled by natural evils brought on an innocent 
 perfon : becaufe the falvation in queftion, is from 
 fuch and only from fuch natural- evils as the finner 
 deferves. If this difpleafure be exprefled by na¬ 
 tural 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 1.07 
 
 tural evils brought on the firmer himfelf, the fmner 
 then is notJaved. It muff, of neceHity, be there¬ 
 fore, that if it be exprefTed by natural evils 
 brought on any one, it mult be, by their being 
 brought on one who is not a firmer : And, there¬ 
 fore, difpleafure againft the guilty is exprefTed by 
 bufferings brought on the innocent.. 
 
 To fay, therefore, that difpleafure againft the 
 guilty, cannot be exprefTed by evils brought on 
 an innocent perfon, at once denies, either the ne- 
 cejfity of punifhment ; or room for pardon. For 
 if it be eiTential to the glory of God, that he ex- 
 prefs difpleafure againft wickednefs ly any natural 
 evils ; thefe evils rauft be endured, either by the 
 guilty , or by fome one who is innocent. If 
 they are endured by the wicked themfelves, the 
 funner is not, yea cannot be pardoned. If the fm- 
 ner be pardoned, and the difpleafure of God ne> 
 verthelefs exprefTed in natural evils it mu ft of 
 necelfity be that this is done in natural evils 
 brought on one who is innocent. Thus evidently 
 doth the objection under confideration deny any 
 neceffity, arifing either from the law, or the cha¬ 
 racter of God, that linners fhould ever be punifh- 
 ed ; or, it denies that Tinners of mankind will 
 ever be delivered from that punifhment which is 
 their juft defert according to the tenour of the 
 divine law. 
 
 But it may perhaps be denied that either of 
 thefe confequences are involved in the fentiment 
 that the anger of God again/ the wicked cannot ke 
 expreffed in theJujferings of one who is righteous. It 
 may be urged that “ as the obedience of Chrilt, 
 “ eipecialiy under very heavy and fevere trials, 
 “ exprefTed a very high degree of love to hcli - 
 f< ite/s-, this, of courfe, exhibited a proportionable 
 
 cc averfion 
 
CHAP. VII, 
 
 io 3 
 
 ,£ averfiori from fin. And as Chrift was God ma- 
 “ rdf eft in flefi), whatever hatred and averfions 
 tl were exprefied by him, were the hatred—the 
 c( averfions of GOD. And therefore Cod's ha- 
 
 tied of iniquity appeared and was exprefied 
 “ in the vbedier.ee of Chrift. His acting uni- 
 “ formly againft the caufe cf fin, very naturally 
 ,l and neceffarily exprefied his difpleafure againft 
 £t the finner.” 
 
 But in reply to this reafoning it .may be ob- 
 ferved : 
 
 i. That the objedlor, in taking this courfe, 
 fplits upon the very rock he means to avoid. It 
 is urged that the iuppofition, that the dijpleafure 
 of God agair.fi the wicked, cannot be been in the Juf- 
 ferings of an innocent perfen , implies, either that 
 the wicked will be univerfally punifiied ; or, that - 
 the character and law of God do not require that 
 God’s difpleafure againft the wicked fhould ever 
 be exprefied in any natural evils, any fufferings 
 whatever. The argument before us admits that 
 the divine being may fo aft againft fin, and op- 
 pofe it in fuch a manner in his own conduct, as to 
 render punifiments unnecefiary : Or, at leaft to 
 render it confident with the lpirit of the law to 
 forgive penitents without exprefiing by natural 
 evils, any difpleafure againft them fer their fins. 
 But if God may forgive feme finners, without 
 teftifying his anger againft them by natural evils ; 
 it is difficult to fee why he may not all . If rhe 
 honour of the divine law may be fo fupported 
 without natural evils, as to make ic confident 
 with the character of the governor of the world, 
 to exercife his grace in bringing Jome to.repent¬ 
 ance, and then forgiving them we fee not why 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 3 09 
 
 it may not all. We can fee no other objection 
 againft the falvation of all than this, viz. That 
 the character and conduft of God could not ap¬ 
 pear to harmonize with his perfect law, nnlefs he 
 expreffed difpleafure againft the rebellion of men 
 by natural evils. But the argument which pleads 
 that God’s difpleafure is Jujficiently expreffed,'to 
 anfwer the purpofes of law and government, in 
 the obedience of Chrift, removes this objection. 
 And, therefore, it implies that the honor of God’s 
 law and moral government may be fupported 
 without the execution of punifhrncnts: At 
 leaft, that there is no necedity of God’s tefti- 
 fying againft the wickednefs of men by natural 
 evils, in order to its being confident with his 
 character to pardon and fave finners. 
 
 2. It may juftly be fcrupled whether it can, 
 with propriety, be laid that the holy and obedi¬ 
 ent life of Chrift exprejfed any divine dijpleafure 
 againft men for their fins :—At leaft, any dif- 
 pofttion, in the divine mind, to punifo men for 
 their fins. c< God fent not his Son into the world 
 
 to condemn the -world ; but that the world 
 11 through him might be faved.” 1 Chrift’s dif- 
 pofition to obey the law, was acted out and expreff¬ 
 ed in his life on earth. And whatever reafons 
 there might be, from any conftderations, to iup- 
 pofe he entertained a difpofition within himfelftto 
 pnnijh finners ; ftill his own perfonal obedience to 
 the law did not exprejs it ; in this it was not act¬ 
 ed out in its proper and natural fruits. This 
 difpofition of the divine redeemer remains to be 
 exhibited and difplayed on another day. And if 
 there were no other expreffion of divine difpleafure 
 againft fin necellary, than this j we have no rea~ 
 
 fon 
 
 5 John, 3- I7« 
 
IIO 
 
 CHAP. VIL 
 
 fon to expe;ft that any other expreftion of it will, 
 in fa£t, be ever made. Accordingly, 
 
 3. If God’s being manifeft in flefh, and afting 
 againft the caitje of fin in a holy and obedient 
 life, and lubduing the power of it in his people, 
 be all the way in which it is neceffary his anger 
 againft fin fhould be exprefted ; we have abun¬ 
 dant reafon to conclude, that neither the fpirit cf 
 the law, nor the honour of the divine government 
 require it fhould ever be expreffed in any other 
 way. And therefore punifhments are far from 
 being neceffary under the divine government. 
 For, on this hypothefis, God would appear to 
 aft more decidedly and compleatlv againft the 
 caufe of fin, and fo of conrfe exprefs higher dif- 
 pleafure againft it, by wholly eradicating it out' 
 of the heart of every moral being, and fetting ail 
 his creatures above the reach of natural evil. 
 
 These are but the natural and obvious confe- 
 quences of the opinion that the difpleafure of 
 God againft men, for their fins, was not expreff- 
 ed in the fufferings and death of Chrift. 
 
 As an evidence that the fufferings of Chrift 
 were expreftions of divine anger againft men for 
 their fins ; it is to be obferved, 
 
 1. That ihcfe fufferings were, in reality, ex- 
 preffions cf divine anger. c Thefe were a curfe , 
 the curfe cf God, which can, in the nature of 
 things, be no other than an expreffion of anger. 
 The fword of God, the fword of divine juftice, 
 was called up, and commiflioned againft Chrift : 
 and fmote, and took away his lire. But it is un- 
 neceffary to repeat what has been faia on this 
 fubjedl in a former chapter. We proceed, 
 
 2. To 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 in 
 
 i. To obferve that the anger of God which 
 appeared and was expreffed in the fufferings of 
 Chrift, could not be againfi the p erf on of the Savi¬ 
 our. Chrift always did thofe things that pleafed the 
 Father. 1 He is God’s beloved Son in whom he 
 is well pleafed. 1 How often was the voice of 
 God heard from heaven, declaring concerning 
 Chrift, while he was on earth, ec This is my be¬ 
 loved Son, in whom I am weil pleafed.” 3 Ne¬ 
 ver did the Father view this Son of his love with 
 greater complacency and delight, than when he 
 was making his foul an offering for fin : And ne¬ 
 ver did he feel a more infinite tenaernefs for him* 
 than while he was wounding him for our tranf- 
 greffions, and bruiting him for our iniquities. 
 
 3. God is invariably difpleafed at fin ; and, 
 he never has the ieaft degree of anger againft any 
 of his creatures, but finners. The law of God, 
 which expreffeth his very mind and will, curfeth 
 thofe, and only thofe, who continue not in all 
 things written in the book of it, to do them. 
 When any of God’s creatures commit fin, 
 they provoke his anger. But, where there is no 
 fin, it cannot be that God is offended. And, 
 as God is angry with the wicked every day;* 
 every exhibition of divine anger muft be againft 
 finners. 
 
 4. It is evident, and is generally confeffed, 
 that the happy and bleffed fruits of Chrift's glori¬ 
 ous righteoifnefs , are confered upon finners of 
 mankind , and enjoyed by them. The Apoftle 
 faith, “ As by the offence of one, judgment 
 <c came upon all men unto condemnation; even 
 
 (c fo 
 
 * John, 8 29. a Matt, la, 18, 3 Mattb. X, 17, and 
 
 17, 5. * PJ\ 7. 11. 
 
CHAP. VII 
 
 II2! 
 
 “ fo by the righteoufnefs of one, the free gift came 
 
 upon ad men unto juftification of life. For, as by 
 tc one man’s difohedience, many were made fin- 
 “ ners ; fq by the obedience of one, fhail many 
 “ be made righteous.” 1 And 'this one perfon, by 
 whole righteoufnefs the thee gift comes upon men 
 to jufliS cation of life, the connection of the Apof- 
 tle’s drfcourfe evidently proves to be the Lord Je- 
 Jus drift. tc Therefore” he fays again, <c by 
 iL the deeds of the law there ilia'll no flefh be jufti- 
 “ fred in his fight : for by the law is the knowledge 
 “ of fin. But now the righteoufnefs of Gcd with- 
 “ out the law is manifefted, being witnefied by 
 “ the law and the prophets ; even the rightecuf- 
 <c nefs of. God which is by faith of Jefus Chrift 
 rc . unto ail, and upon all them that believe.” 3, 
 Thefe paffages, with many others in the Scrip¬ 
 tures,, make it evident that finners of mankind re¬ 
 ceive and enjoy the rewards, the happy fruits of 
 the righteoufnefs 6f Chrift; And, that the benefits of 
 his righteoufnefs are, of grace, bedewed upon fin¬ 
 ners. This is the true and only prqper import 
 ©f th.e imputation of Chrift’s righteoufnefs to be¬ 
 lievers--This is to have his righteoufnefs im¬ 
 
 puted to 'them ; for them to receive and enjoy the 
 benefits, the happy fruits of it. 
 
 Add to thefe confiderations, the frequent and 
 exp refs declarations of the word of God refpeft- 
 ing• the 'eftd of the fu fie rings of Chrift, can there 
 be any remaining doubt whether the difpleafure 
 of God-which was exhibited in them, were agair.ft. 
 finners.? No point can be made more evident byex- 
 f refs divine declarations than this. Here, we are told 
 that Chrift “ was made under the law, that he 
 <c might redeem them that are under the law, 
 
 that they might receive the adoption of ions.” 5 
 
 Here, 
 
 1 Rom. c. 18, 19. 1 Ren:. 3. 20»- 22. z Galai. 4. 4, 5. 
 
CHAP. VII; 
 
 II 3 
 
 Here, we are taught that Chrifi: united himfelf to 
 his people, by a ftreng and invincible love, that he 
 might recover and lave them. The near-nefs of 
 his relation to his-people,’ and the intimacy of the 
 union which fubfhls betv/een them, are fuch-as to re¬ 
 quire the Hrongeft fimiiitudes, the bolded -meray 
 phors, to exprefs them. He is-the.vipe of which 
 they are the branches : 1 the huffcmd of whom the 
 church is the fpeuf&yd the head of which his peo¬ 
 ple are the body even fo that they are members 
 of his fiefoy and of his bones J- . 
 
 Thts is the relation in which we^ar.e taucrht, by 
 the unerring oracles of truth, that Chrift Hands 
 to his people. And, Handing in this relatiorvto 
 them, it is exprefsly declared by the Spirit'of 
 truth, that he was woupded for their J'rsmfgnffi- 
 cns, and bruifed for their iniquities :? that, he 
 was.made a curfe for them : 5 that, he wps deliver¬ 
 ed, (.that is to for-ou}\ A '.that, ,he 
 
 was once offered-1$ bear the Jiff - off many ,■ 7 \ and, 
 that he here our Jins on the tree. 8 : It- 
 afferted that Chrilt diedfor ■■iff ^ nragodij-^xp^ffp 
 died for us that, he fufferedferEbe. unjujip tfe^t 
 
 he might bring them to God :-' 0 that, 7 he was -jaori- 
 foed for usd ‘And, to clofe the whole^ C hr ill -hjwr 
 fel.f tells us that he came to give his'ijfe^a- -r#nfdfp 
 for many ; and was the good feepherd who- laid 
 down-his life for the ffeepd z - - 
 
 Beside the very unfcriptural 'confequenees 
 which hecelTarify flow from a denial of thTpofTi- 
 b.ility that the anger cf God' cgahff fmners Jhcliff 
 appear and be eupreffe'd in the fufferhigs cf an firm- 
 
 . ' ' ' g cent 
 
 '' ’John, 15.5.’ * ffai. 54, 5. 6 . 3 Ephef. 5. 3Q, „ 4 
 
 Ifai. 53. 5-. 5 GhTdt. 3; ! 3* 6 Rem. 4. 25. 7 Htl\ 
 
 9. 28. 8 I. Pel. 2. 24. 9 Rom. 5, 6, 8. l<> Pet. 3. x8. 
 
 .* 1 I. Cor. 5. 7. 1Z John, 10. 11, 15. 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 114 
 
 cent f erf in ; thefe paffages of fcripture, together 
 with the obfervattons immediately preceding, are 
 fo many concurring proofs, and unequivocal tef- 
 timonies that, in the bufferings of Chrift, this was 
 in fa hi the cafe. And, all the mighty power which 
 Chrift displayed while on earth 5 every miracle 
 that he wrought j- and, more frill, if pofti- 
 ble, his triumphant refurretfticn and afcenfion 
 to glory-; together with all the marvellous 
 effects of it, which have fince appeared upon 
 earth; are fo many additional teftimonies, fo 
 many irrefragable proofs that the righteous 
 dfpkafure of. God, which Jhone in the fuffer- 
 ings of the Saviour , had really, for its objebt, 
 the Jins of men. 
 
 If, the Deity himfelf had been about to 
 contrive the moll: effectual means for giving con¬ 
 viction, to all creatures, that the anger which 
 burned in the fujferings of his dear Son , was not 
 againft him, but againft Jinful men; What could 
 he have clone more, what more effeftual method 
 could he have taken, to afcertain fuch a truth ? 
 To fee the fruits of divine anger alight upon the 
 immaculate Lamb of God, when he came to de¬ 
 liver his people from the power of fin, and from 
 the wrath and curfe of Gcd; and, then, behold 
 the people of Chrift, who are themfelves infinite¬ 
 ly guilty, reaping the- happy fruits of divine 
 righteoufnefs 5 -fo ftrongly indicates, in itfelf, an 
 interchange of 'periods, between Chrift and his 
 people, as to fufferings and rewards, as hardly 
 leaves room for a doubt whether this were really 
 the cafe. Under thefe circimfiances, the exprefs 
 declarations of the word of Gael mu ft, furely.be 
 fufficient. to put the matter out of all difputej 
 and, leave full conviction in every candid mind. 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 il S 
 
 that the /offerings' of Chrijl were, in reality, ex- 
 preffions of divine difpieafure agaihfi. men for their 
 Jitis. 
 
 But, to all this it is objected that cc The rules 
 tc of righteoufnejs never admit, that the innocent 
 <c ihould be pumfhed for the guilty. If, as Abraham, 
 (i the father of the faithful, reafoned, that it be 
 <f far from God to flay the righteous with the wick - 
 
 ed, and, that the righteous jhould he as the wick- 
 u ed : 1 much farther mull ic be from Gpd to flay 
 f( the righteous infiead o f the wicked,” 
 
 i 
 
 This objection, it is to be obferved, as v/ell as 
 thofe to which we have before.' been attending, 
 fuppofes that, if any punifhments are necef- 
 fary in the divine government, they muft be laid 
 only on the guilty ; if it be' neceflary that God 
 exprefs anger by any natural evils, they muA be 
 inflicted on thofe who defetve them : And, there¬ 
 fore, if it be confident with the divine rectitude 
 in any in fiance to pardon the tinner, it mu ft be 
 that.the reditude of divine government does not 
 require that the anger of God againfl; fmners 
 fhould ever be exprefled by nntuml evils : And, 
 confequently, that the law of God doth not re¬ 
 quire it. 
 
 This obje&iom, at lead:, fuppofeth that the 
 law of Goci doth not require that in every injl- 
 ar.ee' he fhould exorefs 'difpieafure againfl: fmners 
 by inflicting natural evils upon them : and there¬ 
 fore, that there is not a difpoution in the divine 
 mind, that could ever betruly and' properly de¬ 
 lineated in this way. Bur, ifthc lav/ and charact¬ 
 er of God do not require that this ihould be done 
 in every inftance , we cannot fee with what propri¬ 
 ety 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 3 10 
 
 ety it fiiould be done in any. And, if this be the 
 cafe, we may fairly conclude it never would have 
 been done, even if Clirift had not come into the 
 world. According to this hypothecs, theiefbre, 
 we muft fuppofe that the true end cf the coming 
 of Chrifl was to relieve the minds of inen from 
 tnofe unneceffary- fears which the laW of G od, un- 
 leis Smoothed and foftened by fome milder and 
 mere generous drrpenfation, would necefiarily be¬ 
 get in them. But if this were the true defgn of 
 'the-coming cfChrift, it is difficult to fee how it 
 could with propriety be' prophefied of him, that 
 he Should magnify the law and make it honoura¬ 
 ble •; ‘ and how this could be a ground of God’s 
 being well pleafed for his righteoufnefs' fake. 
 Surely the Saviour himlelf had not this view of 
 the end of his million, when he declared, “I am 
 fc not come to deftroy the law, but to fulfill. 
 tc For, verily I fay unto you, till heaven and 
 cc earth pajs , cne jot, or one tittle f!:all in no wife 
 Ci f a I s from the law , till all be fulfilled. z 
 
 Further; - the objection fuppofeth that, 
 though it be inconfflent with the righteoufnefs 
 of the Governor of the world, to treat the right¬ 
 eous as the wicked , yer, the nature of the divine 
 government is fuch as doth not require that the 
 wicked fhoukl be dift ingulfed from the righteous; 
 but admits that the rewards of righteoufnefs may 
 be equally and indiscriminately beftowed on the 
 wicked, and on the righteous. And what ideas 
 of government remain, after we have adopted thole 
 modes and rules of adminiftration which equally 
 admit die righteous and the wicked to the re¬ 
 wards of obedience , it mull be difficult .for any one 
 to afeertain. 
 
 * T/aiah. 42, 21. 1 Mat. 5. 17, iS. 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 ii 7 
 
 It is readily admitted that it would not be In¬ 
 continent with the rules of common juffice for 
 the Deity, by. his mere authority and power to 
 Jubjeft an innocent perfon to bufferings. But, the 
 objector himfelf admits that the holy and inno¬ 
 cent Saviour of the world, was indeed fubjetted 
 to many hardffffps and bufferings. And we muff 
 deny an universal divine providence, unlefs w r e 
 fuppofe that Chriff was fubjeffed to thefe buffer¬ 
 ings by the power and will of God. Therefore, 
 faCt itfelf oppofeth the very fpirit of the objecti¬ 
 on ; unlefs it be urged, in vindication of God’s 
 righteoufnefs, that volenti non fit injuria; and 
 that Chriff, willingly and chearfully, for the pur- 
 pofes of the general good, Jubmkted, to thefe natu¬ 
 ral evils. But if this maxim be adopted as a 
 folution of the difficulty which real faff prefen ts 
 to us in the divine government 5 it will equally 
 afford us a folution of the difficulty contained in 
 the objection before us. For if it be confiffenc 
 with the character and righteoufnefs of God to 
 bring a fmall degree of natural evil on an inno¬ 
 cent perfon, upon his freely contenting to it; it 
 is equally confiffent to bring greater degrees, if he 
 hath the fubjeCt’s free confent. If the confent of 
 the fubjeCt will juftify it in one cafe, it will alfo 
 in the other. And if it was a reality that Chriff 
 willingly fubjected himfelf to thofe natural evils 
 which the Father in faCt laid upon him, for the 
 purpofes of the general good : the fuppofition 
 that thefe evils were eXpreflions of divine anger 
 againft tinners, will not at all obfcune the evi¬ 
 dence of the righteoufnefs of God. 
 
 If to promote the general good, the Saviour 
 freely and voluntarily fubje&ed himfelf to thofe 
 natural evils which were the proper fruits and 
 
 teffimonies 
 
11 s 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 teftirnonies of divine anger againft the fins of 
 men, there was no more injuftice done him in 
 their being laid upon hint, than if he had fub- 
 jcfxed himfelf Voluntarily to natural evils on any 
 other account, or for any other reward. And if 
 the confideration of a reward, would juftify lay¬ 
 ing evils upon him on any ether account , or for 
 any other purpofe ; it would, aifo, juftify lay¬ 
 ing evils upon him as exprejjions of divine anger 
 againft fnners , in cafe he could receive a fufhei- 
 ent and full reward. But if the general good of 
 the univerfe were better fecured, and more high¬ 
 ly advanced in this way, than in any other, the 
 glory of God in the 1 'alvation of linnets will be 
 efceemed, by the Saviour, a full and ample re¬ 
 ward for all his hard labour and fufferings. Ac¬ 
 cordingly this is the way in which the holy Scrip¬ 
 tures teach us that the Saviour of the world is re¬ 
 warded for the arduous work which he accomp- 
 lilhed by his death. Cf He fhali fee of the travel 
 “ of his foul, and (hall be fatisfied : by his 
 tc knowledge fhali my righteous fervant juftify 
 “ many, forhelhall bear their iniquities.” 1 
 
 Whatever maxims be adopted in vindication 
 of the divine right eovfnejs in bringing on the in¬ 
 nocent Saviour thole natural evils which he adiu~ 
 ally endured, may be improved to equal advan¬ 
 tage, in vindicating the rightcoufnefs of God in 
 exprefifing his anger againft fnners in the pains 
 and fufferings of the Saviour. 
 
 There is certainly no natural abfurdity in fup- 
 pofing that Chfift fhculd freely confent to bear 
 the iniquities of his people and that, he con- 
 fenting to it, the Father Ihould lay them upon 
 
 him 
 
 ■ Ifalel, 53. li. 
 
CHAP. VIII. 
 
 119 
 
 him. Nor is there in this method of the recover 
 ry of {inners, the leaft appearance of unrightequf- 
 rlefs in God, or injujlice to the Redeemer. And 
 when the holy Scriptures are fo very full and 
 exprefs to the cafe, as hath been already fhown j 
 no difficulty can remain in fuppofing that the 
 anger of God which appeared and was exprefifed 
 in the fufferings of Chrill, was, in reality, 
 againft Tinners. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII* 
 
 Showing the confiftency of full atonement with 
 free pardon. 
 
 M ANY have fuppofed that the opinion of 
 thefmner’s being pardoned full atone¬ 
 
 ment made for his fins, is a palpable abfurdity. 
 And, therefore, that the do&rine of atonement, 
 and the doftrines o {free grace are utterly irrecon¬ 
 cilable. cc For,” fay they, ff when we have 
 tl received the debt, what grace is there in free- 
 tc ing the debtor ? And that, whether the mo- 
 c< ney be paid by the debtor himfelf, or by fome 
 tc other perfon.” Were this a fimilitude which 
 would properly apply, in the cafe before us; 
 it is acknowledged there would be a difficul¬ 
 ty. But, this objection arifes from a wrong con- 
 ftruftion of the do&rine of atonement. 
 
 In order to fhow the inconfiftency of atonement 
 with the free grace of God in the falvation of fin- 
 ners; nothing further will be necelfary than to 
 Rate. 
 
 1. The nature of pardon and grace : and 
 ffiow in what cafes, and under what circumftan- 
 R ces. 
 
CHAP. VIII. 
 
 i&p 
 
 ces, the firmer riiay be the fubjedt of them. And, 
 
 ‘ To (how. what it is that conftitutes the na¬ 
 ture, arid makes the effence of atonement. 
 
 I- We are to ftate the nature o $ far don and grace; 
 "and -fhow in what- cafes, and under what circum- 
 ftances, the (inner may be the fubjedt of them. 
 
 The gofvsl-i.de a of grace is, in general, that of 
 good, conferred where evil is deferved. It is ef- 
 iential to the idea of grace that the fubjedt deferve 
 evil. Accordingly, our firft parents, while in¬ 
 nocent, were not the fubjects of grace in their en¬ 
 joyment or the favour of God. “ To him that 
 “ worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace , 
 “ hutofdelt.”' Therefore, 
 
 i. When they- enjoy the divine favour, who 
 really deferve and merit the anger of God; they 
 are then the fubjedts of grace. When men en¬ 
 joy "hleffngs and good, in the place of curfes and 
 evils which are jufliy due to them; they are the 
 fubjedts of grace. Only grace can relieve us 
 from evils and fufierings which we deferve. 
 
 S. We are, therefore, of neceffity fubjedts of 
 grace in being delivered from evils which we jujl- 
 Jy deferve ; and, on the other hand, in having 
 bleflings confered upon us of which we are utterly 
 -unzocirthy. No confederation whatever can take 
 away the grace of thefe bleffings, fo long as our 
 defert of the contrary evils remains. 
 
 3. When no injuftlce would be done to men 
 in eafting them off forever, it cannot otherwile 
 be than that they fhould be the fubje&s of grace 
 in being faved. If men . do not deferve eternal 
 
 ' deftrudb’On 
 
 -nil form.- 4.^ 4'C- ■ 
 
CHAP. VIII. 
 
 ,1 2i 
 
 definition, it will riecefTarily be an injufy to them 
 to inflit it on them. But, when men feel them- 
 felv.es to deferve this fate, it. wilfbe i'mpoflibja 
 for them to view it as any other than grace to be 
 delivered from it. It mull, therefore be grace-in 
 God to deliver men from thofe evils which theiu 
 fins juftly deferve. To .be faved from a punifli- 
 men.t which we have truly merited by our wick- 
 ednefs, rnufl of neceflity be a mercy to us*. To 
 fuppofe otherwife would imply that we juftly de- 
 ferve punifnment, and yet that jufiice requires we 
 fhould be exempted from it. . It is impoffible for 
 the finner’s defert of punifhment to eeafq, other- 
 wife than by having actually endured it. 
 Therefore, it is impoffible that.it fhould be other- 
 wife than mercy-, to the firmer, to fave him from the 
 punifhment whicffihe.juftly deferves for his wick- 
 ednefs. In whatever way this fa.lvation comes to 
 him, whether, through an atonement, or npt-i 
 ftill, to him it is .grace; he., is the Tub] eel of 
 grace. . ■_ 
 
 We may confider in the next place.' 
 
 II. What •it.hbthaf eohftittites- the effence of 
 atonement : And this, in order to know whether 
 atonement for fin brings obligation on ih.zjtiftice of 
 God to deliver and fave the Tinner. 
 
 Respecting atonement , it is to be ohferved that 
 it fummarily confifts in an exhibition of the righ¬ 
 teous difpleafure .of God agafiift fin, made in fome 
 other way than in the punifhment of the finner. 
 The real abhorrence in which God holds the cha- 
 rafler of the finner, would- be no more than truly 
 and fully exprefledin his eternalpu-nifliment. It is 
 of the utmoft importance that - this difppfirioh pf 
 the' divine mind fhould appear in the government 
 
 of 
 
122 
 
 CHAP. VIII, 
 
 of God ; becaufe this is his glory. Without this 
 infinite purity and hatred of iniquity, he could 
 not be GOD—be abfolutely perfect. If divine 
 government can be administered in fuch a wav, 
 without the punifhment of the firmer, as proper¬ 
 ly to delineate this difpofition of the divine mind, 
 to the views of creatures ; the divine character 
 v/ill not fuffer, by the pardon of the finner. And 
 in whatever way this difpofition of the divine 
 mind be delineated ; whether it be in the punifh¬ 
 ment of the finner, or in fome other mode not 
 lefs expreflive ; the ends of divine government, 
 in general, are anfwered. One great end of the 
 coming and death of Chrift> was to delineate this 
 difpofition of the divine mind, and make a full 
 and fenfible exhibition of it. In his fufferings 
 and death this divine purity, and hatred of ini¬ 
 quity, were fenfibly and glorioufly exprefied. 
 In the fufferings of Chriji God gives us to fee that 
 his own infinite mind is full of difpleafure againft 
 Tinners. Chriffs fufferings and death are a glafs 
 in which that character of God which we read in 
 the threatnings and curfes of the law, may be¬ 
 come vifible and confpicuous. After all that 
 Chriji has done and fuffered, if God pardons and 
 faves the finner for his fake: it will afford us 
 no reafon to believe that there is lefs averfion in 
 the divine mind from the chara&er of the finner, 
 than the threatnings and curfes of the law would 
 naturally fuggefl. In this way, therefore, the 
 honour of the law is preferved, though the firmer 
 be faved. 
 
 ■Viewed in this light, it is eafy to fee that the 
 atonement infers no obligation on the juftice of 
 God, to pardon and fave the finner. The ob¬ 
 jection 
 
CHAP. VIII. 
 
 I2J 
 
 jeCtion is, not that the purpofes of grace cannot be 
 anfwexed if the finner be not laved, when atone¬ 
 ment is made for his fins; but, that atonement 
 implies an obligation, i u jujlice, to fave the Tin¬ 
 ner. But, juft ice requires the falvation of the 
 finner, the Governor of the world mull be guil¬ 
 ty of injuftice in damning him. To fuppofe that 
 it would be unjuji, in God, to damn the finner, 
 evidently implies that a juft and holy God hath not 
 difpleafure enough in him, for this purpofe. 
 And, therefore that Jnch a degree of dij'pleajure 
 could be made vifible, neither in the atonement, 
 nor in any other way. But, that fuch a degree 
 of difpleafure againft finners hath, in reality, no 
 exigence in the divine mind, at once defiroys all 
 notions of gofpel grace , in their falvation; and 
 that> whether they behaved through an atonement, 
 or without it. 
 
 If fuch a degree of difpleafure againft finners 
 hath a real exiftence in the divine mind ; no exter¬ 
 nal evidence of its exiftence can, poffibly, render 
 it unjuft for God to deftroy the finner. The 
 higher the evidence of this difpofition rifes, the 
 more muft it appear grace in God, to pardon and 
 fave the finner. Yea, the whole evidence we have 
 of its being grace muft arife from the fenfire 
 demonftration of the exiftence of this pure and holy 
 difpleafure in the mind of God. So long as we 
 conftder the divine character as the ftandard of 
 perfection, we cannot believe a creature to de- 
 ferve any evil which God hath not difpleafure 
 enough to bring upon him. But, the more fen- 
 fible we are of the anger of God, io long as we 
 view it to be juft and righteous ; the more will it 
 appear an aCt of divine grace to deliver the ob¬ 
 ject of it frqm pqnifhment. 
 
 The 
 
CHAP. VIII. 
 
 5 24 
 
 The death and fufferings- of Christ are a glafs 
 in which we may behold the feelings of the di¬ 
 vine mind toward finners ; and, read an - abhor¬ 
 rence of their charadVers; a difpleafure againfl 
 them, which eternal deftrudtion would no more 
 than fully exp refs. Had we mo fenfible evidence 
 of the exiftence of this difpofition, in the mind 
 of God ; we could have no evidence that the.falva- v 
 lion of finners is of grace. And had it not been 
 for the coming and work of Chrift, w r e could not 
 have had lenfible evidence of this, otherwife than 
 in the ad'tual defcrudtion of finners. Had: God 
 faved finners without any atonement, his govern¬ 
 ment would have furnifhed no evidence of any 
 fiuch averfion of the divine mind from the charac¬ 
 ter of finners* Confequently, there could not 
 have been evidence that the faivation of finners is 
 of grace. . 
 
 According to this view .of the matter, the 
 Atonement is fo far from being inconfiftent with 
 the dodtrine of grace , in the faivation of finners, 
 that it^xceedingly illufirrates it. Atonement is io 
 far from* proving that it is not an adt of grace to 
 pardon and fave finners ■, that, above every other 
 confideration whatever, it fnows it to be pure 
 grace. Yea, the atonement of Chrrft is fo far 
 from obfcuring divine grace, in. the faivation of 
 finners; that, without this; grace could not have 
 appeared. Had God faved finners without do¬ 
 ing any tiling to vindicate the honour of his-law, 
 and witnefs his infinite hatred of iniquity ; it 
 could not have been evident that this faivation is 
 of grace. The atonement, therefore, is fo far 
 from obfcuring the luftre of divine grace, that it 
 greatly adds to it: Yea, it is absolutely effential 
 to the evidence of any grace whatever , in the fai¬ 
 vation of finners. 
 
 God 
 
CHAP. VIII. 
 
 *25 
 
 God, himfelf, exercifeth no grape, excepting 
 toward /inner $. They, who are not Tinners, can¬ 
 not be the objects of grace. The divine rights 
 cufnefs itfelf is full fecurity, for the inoncent, 
 again!! every evil. Grace , in God, is the beftow-r 
 meat of good upon thofe whofe character he righ-i 
 teoufly abhors. Grace , therefore, as a quality 
 of the divine character, can be feen no farther 
 than his righteous abhorrence of the objedt of 
 it becomes vifible. The glory and greatnefs of 
 divine grace, can be eftimated only by the detef- 
 tation in which God-holds the character of the 
 objedt toward whom it is exercifed. ' There¬ 
 fore, by how much the more fenfble the demon- 
 ftradons of divine anger are, again!! the charadter 
 of the finner, by fo much the more confpicuous is 
 the grace of God, in his pardon and falvation. 
 The clearer views we have of the difpleafure of 
 God, on one hand ; the more lively apprehenfion 
 fhall we have of divine grace, on the other. 
 
 Viewing the atonement, therefore, as a glafs 
 in which the righteoufne/s of God may be feen : 
 inftead of obfcuring the luftre of divine grace, in 
 the falvation of fmners, it greatly increafes it* 
 Yea, the atonement is the only glafs in which the 
 true beauty and glory of the free, fovereign grace 
 of God can be feen. 
 
 Obj. <c It is a beauty in the charadter of the 
 “ civil magiftrate to pardon j and, this without 
 “ any atonement; which may, neverthelefs, be 
 “ termed grace . 
 
 Ans. Could human laws be framed with 
 fuch perfedtion as that their penalties fhould ex- 
 prefs the difpleafure of the community only in ca/es 
 
 •where 
 
126 
 
 Chap. viii. 
 
 i where the •public good requires it jljould exijl par¬ 
 don could in no cafe be, either confnftently exer- 
 cifed by the iupreme magiftrate, or appear to be 
 of grace* Were human laws then 'perfect, it 
 would be injurious to the public to pardon, in any 
 cafe whatever; and abfurd to lodge a power to 
 exercife it, in any branch of the executive autho¬ 
 rity. Pardon, in this cafe, would be fo far from 
 partaking of the real nature of grace, that it would 
 be evident injujiice. For the penalties of the 
 law could never be incurred, excepting in cafes 
 where the common good requires that a public 
 odium fhould be exercifed and expreffed. There¬ 
 fore, from the propriety of pardons in civil go¬ 
 vernment, we can infer norhing concerning the 
 propriety and beauty of pardons, in the divine. 
 And, fhould we admit as the cafe now aftually is, 
 that it is an act of grace , in the civil magiftrate to 
 pardon without atonement; it could not, howe¬ 
 ver, be from thence inferred that it would bt grace 
 in God , even in any inftance to forgive the finner 
 without an atonement. 
 
 If* the difpleafure Of God exift in every cafe 
 wherein the penalties of the divine law threaten 
 it; pardon without an atonement, would be fo* 
 far from being an aft of grace , that it would be 
 an injury to the public : And, for this obvious 
 reafon, that the divine difpleafure exijls in no in^ 
 ftances whatever, but in thofe wherein the good 
 of the univerfe requires it fhould be exercifed. 
 'This may certainly be concluded from the perfect 
 and infinite regard the divine Being has for the 
 greateft good of the univerfe. But, in every cafe 
 wherein the univerfal good requires that divine 
 difpleafure fhould exijl and be exercifed ; it is ex¬ 
 ceedingly evident that the fame principle re¬ 
 quires 
 
CHAP. VIII. 
 
 127 
 
 quires it fiiould alfo be exprejfed. Therefore, 
 pardon cannot confiften'cly be beftowed without an 
 atonement : Nor could it, without ibis, be an 
 aft of grace. 
 
 These obfervations give us to fee the reafon 
 why the fcheme of the falvation of Tinners, 
 through the atonement of Chrift, is fo much ce¬ 
 lebrated, in the gofpel, for its confummate and 
 unfearchable wifdom : And why a crucified 
 Chrift is reprefented as the power of God and the 
 wifdom of God . 1 No wifdom, but that which is 
 abfolutely and infinitely perfect, could ever have 
 found a way wherein the finner could be pardoned, 
 and yet the public good be faved : becaufe God is 
 not offended, nor hath the leaft difpoiition to pu- 
 nifh, excepting in thofe cafes wherein the pub¬ 
 lic good requires that his difpleafure be exprelf- 
 ed. Could this difpleafure be made to appear, 
 and yet the public good be fecured: pardon, in 
 that cafe, might be confiftently beftowed ; and, 
 would appear to be a glorious aft of divine grace. 
 Nothing but the atonement of Chrift effefts thefe 
 ends; and, nothing like this beftows fuch luftre 
 and glory on divine fovereign grace . 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 * I. Cor. I. 24. 
 
 s 
 
i-c8 CHAP. IX. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Shewing in what way It way he accounted for 
 that the fufferings of Chrifi f:ould be exceed- 
 ingly great. 
 
 I N order ro fee a poflibility that the fufFerings of 
 Chrift might have been very extreme, not¬ 
 withstanding the abfolute perfection of his moral 
 character , we are to obferve, 
 
 i. That the ground of happinefs and milery 
 in creatures, doth not lie merely in the mind, 
 independently of all other confiderations. 
 
 Certain kinds, both of happinefs, and of 
 mifery-, are peculiar to certain particular tempe¬ 
 raments of mind. But, fufceptibility of pleafure 
 and pain, is common to-all creatures, whether 
 good, or bad. It is riot only the virtuous , who 
 are fufceptible of happinefs; or, the vicious , 
 of mifery. Had this been the cafe, the happi¬ 
 nefs and milery of creatures wo&ld be the rnea- 
 fure of their moral characters, and exactly pro¬ 
 portionate to the degrees of their virtue, or vice. 
 Cendant experience and obfervation prove that, 
 as holinefs and happinefs are not in the nature of 
 things necefiarily connedted together ; neither are 
 fin and mifery. All agree that Chrifi: endured 
 Jome natural evil : And, all know that finners 
 enjoy much natural good. Holy creatures are 
 therefore fufceptible of fufFerings and, fmful 
 ones, of enjoyment. And, were it otherwife, 
 there would be, neither occafion, nor room for 
 moral government: But, virtue would always 
 bring its own reward ; and vice, its ow r n punifh- 
 ment, Happinefs ccnfift$> not in the exercife of 
 
 defire r . 
 
CHAP. IX 
 
 l?-9 
 
 defire, but, its gratification ; And, mifery , notin 
 the exercife of fmful affeblion, but in lomething 
 which is dfagreeable. 
 
 God hath eftablifoed an indiffoluble connexion 
 between holinefs in this world, and happinefs in 
 the next ; and, between perfevering wickednefs 
 here, and cornpleat mifery hereafter. This is 
 effential to the mold perfed moral government. 
 But, were thefe connexions originated by the 
 mere nature of things, the neceffity of a day of 
 judgmentwould be wholly fuperfeded : And, eve¬ 
 ry creature would even now, enjoy all the rewards 
 which are annexed to the pradiee of virtue; or, 
 feel all the mifery which is the juft defert of fin. 
 It is, therefore, nianifeft that the natural depen¬ 
 dence which is univerfally found in creatures , 
 whatever be their moral charaders, renders them 
 fufceptible of good and evil, of pleafure and pain. 
 There is, therefore, no natural inconfiftency in fup- 
 pofing that the creature, who is wholly vicious, 
 may enjoy much natural good ; or, that one who 
 is wholly virtuous, may fuller extreme mifery. 
 
 Therefore, 
 
 2 . There is no apparent difficulty in fuppo- 
 fing that the man Jefus Chrift might endure a 
 very great and extreme weight of differing. It 
 was as truly compatible with the power of God to 
 inflid: pain upon this Son of his love, as on any 
 other creature; and, to caufe diftrefs to rife to a ve¬ 
 ry great height in him. It is inconfiftent with the 
 nature of things to fuppofe that Chrift ffiould fuf- 
 fer thofe horrors of an accufmg confcience, which 
 will make no inccnfiderable part of the fufferings 
 of the damned, in hell; and, with the very de- 
 fign of his coming, to imagine that he ffiould 
 
 endure. 
 
CHAP. IX. 
 
 endure, even for a moment, that defpair, which 
 will make a very bitter part of the pains of God’s 
 enemies. There are, however, other confidera- 
 tions from whence diftrefs might arife : And, fuch 
 views of things might croud in upon his pure and 
 holy mind, as could not fail of being extremely 
 painful. 
 
 It is to be remembered that the Lord Jefus 
 Chrift was truly a man pbflTefied of all the inno¬ 
 cent paflions and feelings of human nature. And, 
 all the fufferings, the painful fenfations he ever 
 endured, were they greater or lefs, were in his 
 human nature , and confined to it. It was the hu- 
 man nature of Chrift that foffered: an human na¬ 
 ture, however, that was exceedingly dignified, 
 and its powers greatly enlarged by its union to the 
 divine :——a confederation which, inftead of di- 
 minifhing, greatly increafed his fufceptibility of 
 diftrefs. 
 
 Christ being thus polfefled of the paflions and 
 feelings of human nature, there is no natural ab- 
 furdity in fuppofing him, however free from fin, 
 yet capable of very painful fenfations. And as 
 all pain is really feated in the mind, it is far from 
 being unfupportable that the power of God might 
 communicate fuch views of things to the man 
 Jefus Chrift, as could not fail of being very dif- 
 treffing to him. There is nothing abfurd in the 
 luppofition that God might communicate, to the 
 mind of Chrift, a very clear view, and lively fenfe 
 of his juft and infinite difpleafure againft thofe 
 whom the man, Jefus, came to fave : And as 
 little abfurdity in fuppofing that this view- and 
 fenfe of divine anger, fhould greatly exercife the 
 mind of Chrift, And as this is a cafe very fup- 
 
 pofable. 
 
CHAP. IX. 
 
 13: 
 
 potable, there is alfo a vifible propriety in it: 
 As we can hardly uriderftand how the mind of 
 Chrift ftiould, without it, clearly comprehend 
 the greatnefs of the work he had undertaken ; 
 and how arduous a thing it was to redeem his 
 people from the curie of the law, that they might 
 be the righteoulnefs of God in him. 
 
 As the mind of Chrift was, unqueftionably, 
 fufceptible of clear views, and a very lively fenfe 
 of divine wrath againft dinners j it is no lefs con¬ 
 ceivable that thefe views, this fenfe, fhould be 
 extremely painful and diftreffing to him. If 
 there be any difficulty in fuppofing that a fenfe of 
 divine wrath againft finners, ffiould be very de¬ 
 ft reding to the man Jefus Chrift : it muft arife 
 .from one or other of thefe confiderations, viz. 
 
 1. That this wrath was not againft the perfoa 
 
 of Chrift : Or, 
 
 2. That the large and extended views of 
 things, which his union to the divine nature 
 would neceflarily fuppofe him to be pofleflfed of, 
 would as certainly prevent pain of mind ; as the 
 clear, full light of heaven will prevent it, in the 
 faints who are fpeCtators of the vengeance actu¬ 
 ally executed on the final enemies of God : Or, 
 
 3. That the beauty of the divine character 
 which fhone in that difpleafure of God againft 
 finners, which was exhibited in view to the mind 
 of Chrift ; would neceftarily occafion the mani- 
 feftation of it to be pleading inftead of painful. 
 
 1. The firft objection is, that the wrath of 
 God, a view of which was communicated to the 
 mind of Chrift, was not againft him perfonally, 
 
 but 
 
132 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 but againft finncrs. According to this objedtion 
 we are to remember, it is as hard to conceive that 
 a view of divine wrath againft finners fhould 
 give the leafi degree of pain to the mind of Chrift, 
 as that it fhould fill it with diftrefs. For that 
 objedt which'is capable of miniftering any degrees 
 of pain, if it be of fufficient magnitude, may fill 
 the mind with anguifh. And if fuch views of 
 the anger of God againft thofe whom Chrift came 
 to fave, could be communicated to his pure mind, 
 as would affedt him with the leaft uneafinefs and 
 concern : the communications might be fo en¬ 
 larged as to raife uneafinefs and forrow to a very 
 great height. 
 
 But if a fenfeand view of divine anger againft 
 men, could give no pain to the mind of Chrift 
 bpcau/e he was not the objedt it muft have been 
 becaufe he was fufceptible only of pleafures and 
 pains that were merely 'perfional which would be 
 to reproaeh him -with that fame felfifh, contradted 
 fpirir, which he .came to eradicate from his peo¬ 
 ple. This would fuppofe that he felt no intereft 
 in his church; and that, too, at the very time 
 he was laying down his life for them. 
 
 It is very manifeft that the intereft we have in 
 a perfon, or an objedt, is the thing that gives 
 fpring to our concern about it. And however 
 fovereign the objedt may be from cur per/cns or 
 /elves, yet an intereft of our afijedlicns in it, lays a 
 foundation for our deriving from it, either joy or 
 forrow, pleafure or pain. If the intereft of the 
 community, for inftance, engages our attention 
 and afredtions, 1 more than any intereft that is 
 merely perfonal ; whatever affedts the community, 
 will more fenfibly exercife our minds, than any 
 thing that merely affedts our own private intereft. 
 
 A follower 
 
CHAP. IX. 
 
 *32 
 
 A follower of Chrift, it may eafily be imagined, 
 has fucb an intereft in his kingdom, as more ien- 
 libly to feel the injuries that are done to it, than 
 any private injury to himfelf. And if vengeance 
 muft be diredted againft. himfelf perfonally, or 
 againft the intereft of his adored faviour; the 
 latter may appear to him of fuch fuperior import* 
 ance, as neceffarily engages him to facrifice his 
 own to that of his glorious Lord. And if this 
 be the effect which the fpirit of Chrift produces 
 in the hearts of men ; there can furely be no diffi¬ 
 culty in conceiving that the affection which 
 Chrift himfelf had for his church, rendered him 
 fufceptible of great pain, in view of the juft and 
 awful difpleafure of God againft his people for 
 their fins. It would indeed be utterly inconceiv¬ 
 able that Chrift fhould fo love his people, as to 
 lay down his life, and become a curfe for them ; 
 and yet be wholly unaffected with a fenfe of the 
 heat of that divine anger which he faw was againft 
 them. 
 
 The reafon why the mind is affected in a view 
 of objects, is not originally their relation to a pri¬ 
 vate feparate intereft ; but their relation to an in¬ 
 tereft to which the affedtions are united , be it ei¬ 
 ther public or private. Therefore, in proportion 
 to the concern which the man Jefus Chrift felt 
 for the falvation of his people, would his mind 
 be affedted in a view of that dreadful wrath there 
 was againft them. This is not only conceivable, 
 but is a fuppofition that is altogether natural. 
 Therefore, that the divine anger, which was 
 exhibited to the view of Chrift, was not againft 
 him perfonally but againft the church * is a 
 confideration which gives us no reafon to 
 fuppofe that it might not affedf him with ve- 
 
 *7 
 
*34 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 ry deep diftrefs. Chrift had no degree of felf- 
 ifhnefs. His and his church’s intereft were one. 
 Therefore his good-will to the church would oc¬ 
 casion the divine difpleafure to be as fenfibly felt, 
 as if it had been againft him ; at lead as far as he 
 perceived it, and had a view of it communicated 
 to him. 
 
 2. Another objection againft the fuppofition 
 that the fufferings of Chrift could be fo extreme 
 as has been reprefented, is, that the large and ex¬ 
 tended views of things, which his union to the 
 divine nature would neceffarilv fuppofe him to 
 be polfeffed of, would as certainly prevent pain 
 of mind in him ; as the clear, full light of hea¬ 
 ven will prevent it, in the faints, who are fpecla- 
 tors of the vengeance actually executed on the 
 final enemies of God. 
 
 This objection as ftrongly denies the poffibility 
 of Chrift’s differing the leaf diftrefs of mind, as 
 th e greatef. And therefore, fuppofeth it as un¬ 
 accountable that he fhould weep over Jeru/alem y 
 cr at the tomb of Lazarus , as that he fhould en¬ 
 dure the mod extreme agonies of mind, in the 
 garden and on the crofs. But it is to be remem¬ 
 bered that however real and intimate the union 
 was between the human nature of Chrift, and the 
 divine ; the former was as wholly dependent on 
 God, as any other human nature ; and in itfelf 
 as fufceptible of forrow. Views of things that would 
 be pleafant, or painful, might be communicated, 
 or withholden, according to the mere good plea- 
 fure of God. Therefore, no poffible union of 
 the human nature of Chrift, to the divine , would 
 render the former invulnerable or neceffarily un- 
 fufceptible of diftrefs. 
 
 But it-is objected, further, 
 
 j . That 
 
CHAP. IX, 135 
 
 3. That the beauty of the divine character 
 which fhone in that difpieafure of God againd 
 dinners, which was exhibited, in view, to the 
 mind of Chrid ; would neceffarily occafion the 
 manifeftations ofit to be pleafing and delightful, 
 indead of painful and difirefling. 
 
 This objedion reds on the fuppofition that it 
 is impofiible we fhould receive pain from any 
 
 thing vvhich appears beautiful and excellent-- 
 
 That even the contempt of a valuable friend, lofes 
 its power to wound, as foon as ever we can be¬ 
 lieve that we deferve it. But confcant experi¬ 
 ence teaches diredly the reverfe to be true. 
 When we are confcious that the difpieafure which 
 is. exercifed againd us is undderved the charac¬ 
 ter of him who indulges it, mud of necefiity fink 
 in our edeem. And, no fooner is his charader 
 difedeerned, than his difpieafure is difregarded. 
 We pay no regard to the contempt of an enemy 
 while that of a friend never fails to wound. A 
 confcioufnefs that the difpieafure which is ex¬ 
 ercifed againd us is righteous; is the very 
 thing that gives it an edge. A fenfe of God’s 
 being offended, of itjelf gives no pain to his 
 enemies ; but when we become his friends, and 
 feel that his anger is juft and glorious, a fenfe of 
 his difpieafure immediately becomes painful. 
 Were it otherwife, true goodnefs, upon its taking 
 place in the heart of a finner, would immediately 
 render it a matter of indifference whether he were 
 the objed of divine favour or anger ; and that 
 for this obvious reafon, that the fame infinitely 
 beautiful charader of God fhines in the latter as 
 in the former. 
 
 It is, therefore, manifeft^ that the beauty of 
 T the ' 
 
CHAP. IX. 
 
 tjie divine difpleafure, will not cccafion the ma- 
 nifeftations of it to be lefs painful to an ingenu¬ 
 ous mind ; but more fo : becaufe this is the very 
 confideration that gives^ it an edge, and caufes it 
 to wound, when it appears to be againft an ob¬ 
 ject in which we feel ourfelves greatly interefted. 
 
 These things being fo, it is manifeft that the 
 human nature of Chrift was JuJceptibls of buffer¬ 
 ings from any, and every quarter from whence 
 they could be derived to innocent men ; and that 
 to as much greater a degree as his human nature 
 might be fuperior to that of others. 
 
 It is hence manifeft, 
 
 I. That the Father could withhold from the 
 human nature of Chrift, thofe views of himfelf, 
 and thofe divine communications, which were the 
 chief delight and joy of his heart. This may ea- 
 fily be conceived to be pcftible : And a denial of 
 the pofUbility of it, involves the mcft manifeft 
 abfurdity. And fhould it be fo that the divine 
 being fhould withhold from the man Jefus Chrift, 
 thofe manifeftations of himfelf which had, before, 
 been the fupport and comfort of his life ; it can¬ 
 not Qtherwife be, than that he fhould be filled 
 with forrow and diftrefe. For the greater were 
 the delight and joy which the Saviour had in 
 fucb divine communications ; the more pungent 
 would be his forrow, upon their being withholden 
 from him : Nor could the certainty of their fu¬ 
 ture return, be in any meafure iufficient to pre¬ 
 vent the pain occafioned by the prejent hidings 
 of God’s face. 
 
 And, as this is evidently poftible, Chrift’s own 
 words while in his agony and on the crofs ; and 
 
 the 
 
CHAP. IX. 
 
 *■37 
 
 the language in which his furrow and lamentation 
 were, before, prophetically defcribed ■, both con¬ 
 cur to prove this in fad to have been the cafe, 
 <c My God, my God, why halt thcu forfaken me ? 
 ** why art thou fo far from helping me, and from 
 tc the words of my roaring ? How long, O Lord, 
 <c wilt thou bid's thyfelf, forever ? lhail thv wrath 
 “ burn like fire ?” 1 This is the language of 
 Chrift; and this the defcription of his diltrefs : 
 And the terms are but the natural expreftlons of a 
 heart filled with forrow, and now languifhing un¬ 
 der a withdrawment of thofe divine communica¬ 
 tions which had before been its fupport and life. 
 And when it is plainly a fuppofable cafe, that 
 God might fo hide himfelf from the man Jefus, 
 as to occafion in him great forrow and grief; 
 and the language in which the fuffering Saviour of 
 the world breathes out his farrows, fo evidently 
 concurs with fuch an idea of the matter, and is 
 fo expreffive of it; we have abundant reafon to 
 fuppofe that this was in reality the cafe. 
 
 2 . God could fo clothe himfelf with power, 
 and exhibit his awful anger, in the manifeftations 
 he made of himfelf to the man Jefus Chrift, as 
 could not fail of being exceedingly amazing and 
 diftreffing. Innocent creatures, we have already 
 proved, are not unfufceptible of fuch impreffions: 
 Nor is it incompatible with the power of God to 
 give them. The human nature of Chrift, how¬ 
 ever united to the divine, was not unfufceptible 
 of fuch impreftlofis. And divine power might 
 fuftain it under a much greater weight of diftrefs,. 
 of this kind, than equals the common, natural 
 powers of man. And as it is far from being un- 
 fuppofable in the nature of things, that this 
 
 ihould 
 
 1 Pfa. 22. 3. and £9. 46, Matt. 27, 46. 
 
 # 
 
CHAP. IX. 
 
 13S 
 
 fhould have been the cafe 3 the forrow and amaze¬ 
 ment which feized our bleffed Lord, as his death 
 approached ; and his ftrong cries to the Father, 
 if it were pofiible, that the cup might pafs from 
 him ; very naturally lead us to fuppofe that God 
 did put on awful frowns, and difpiay divine an¬ 
 ger, in the manifeftations which he at that period 
 made of himfelf to Chrift. It would alio be no 
 more than naturalto fuppofe, when the circurn- 
 ftances of the cafe are duely confdered, that the 
 views of himfelf which God exhibited to the mind 
 of C hr iff, correfponded with his external treat¬ 
 ment of him in his providence. 
 
 As all created nature is in itfeif imperfect, and 
 abfolutely dependent on God ; it is manifeit that, 
 with refpedt to views of things, and divine com¬ 
 munications, God might grant or withhold, juft 
 as he faw fit. And (hould the Father withhold 
 from his Ion Jefus, in his laid hours, thofe com¬ 
 munications which had, before, been his delight 
 and life ; and at the fame time Communicate to 
 him fuch a fenfe of his righteous and awful dif- 
 pleafure againft thofe whom he came to redeem 
 and fave, as he was manireftly capable of receiv¬ 
 ing ; it is exceedingly evident, both from Chrift’s 
 unalterable love to God, and his invincible at¬ 
 tachment to the good of his church, that it could 
 not be otherwife than that he fnould feel inex- 
 prefilble amazement and diftrefs. 
 
 There is not the leait need of fuppofing that 
 the divine difpleafure fhould be againft the per- 
 fon of Chrift, in order to his being deeply pain¬ 
 ed by fuch a view of it as might be made to him. 
 And there is no objection arifing from tilt‘perfecti¬ 
 on of Chrift’s character, or from the union of his 
 human nature to the divine , againft fuppofing 
 
CHAP. IX, 
 
 i39 
 
 that here was in fabt 'the fource of that pain cf 
 mind which he aftually endured j that will not 
 be of equal weight againft the fuppofition of a 
 foffibility that he fnou Id endure any fain of mind 
 whatever. If the perfect bolinefs of thzman Jefus 
 Ghrifh, and the union of his human nature to the 
 divine, would render it naturally impoffible that 
 he fhonld receive pain of mind from the confe¬ 
 derations already fuggefted as the ground of his 
 greateft fufferings ; they would render it impof¬ 
 fible that he fhould perceive pain of mind in the 
 view of any objects whatever that could be pre- 
 fented to him. 
 
 As to the propriety of the Saviour’s being treat¬ 
 ed in fuch a manner as this, when he was kimfrif 
 the great fin-offering for the world ; we need only 
 obferve that the character of God, as the fupreme 
 Ruler and Judge, was greatly and efpecially con¬ 
 cerned. It was never defigned that the perfonal 
 obedience and death of Chrift here upon earth, 
 notwithftanding his participation of the effence 
 of God, fhould completely exemplify the whole, 
 and every part of the charabter of the fupreme 
 governor of the world, to whom atonement was 
 to be made. This could not poffibly be done, 
 fo long as Chrift fuftained the charabter of a fer- 
 vant and abfed in a fubordinate capacity. But 
 whenever a facrihce of atonement is offered to 
 God, the charabter of tho fe for whom the offer¬ 
 ing is made, and of him to whom the facrihce 
 is offered, are both concerned ; and both to be, 
 in fome way, clearly expreffed and brought to 
 view ; in order that the controverfy may be clear¬ 
 ly underltood, and a reconciliation, honourable 
 to the offended , and fafe to the offender, may take 
 place in confequence of the offering. It became 
 
14 ® 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 the Saviour, therefore, when he was about to 
 offer up bimfelf as a facrifice of atonement for Hn, 
 as much as was pofiibie, to put himfelf in the 
 place of the finner. And it equally became the 
 "■Sovereign of the univerfe to exprefs, in a lively 
 manner, his feelings toward the finner, and his 
 righteous anger againft him, in his treatment of 
 the facrifice . This idea of things is implied in 
 the very inftitution offacrinces for fin ; and very 
 naturally fprings, even from the very appoint¬ 
 ment of a Jiibfiitute for finners. 
 
 Thus it evidently appears that there is no 
 greater difficulty in accounting for the fufferings 
 of Chrifc, on the prefent hypothefis, than on any 
 other fuppofed ground whatever ; nor any abfur- 
 dity in fuppofing them to have been inexpreffi- 
 hly great. And what has been before cbferved 
 refpefting God’s great end in the creation and 
 government of the world, the original ground 
 and neceffity of an atonement, and the adtual 
 fubftitution of Chrift in the place of the finner 
 ail concurs to ftrengthen and confirm thefe ob- 
 fervations; and prove that the principal weight 
 of Chrift’s fufferings arofe from the deep impreffi- 
 ons which were made upon his mind, of the aw¬ 
 ful anger, the fore difpleafure of Go.d againft 
 finners. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
€H£P. X, 
 
 14s 
 
 CHAPTER X- 
 
 Showing in what Jenfe atonement is made for -the 
 Jins of the whole world. 
 
 I T has been the common belief of chriftians 
 that the death of Chrift: is, in its own nature, 
 a fufficient atonement for the fins of the whole 
 human race. And the general offers and invita¬ 
 tions of the gofpd, feem evidently to countenance 
 fuch an opinion. For if the atonement be not 
 fufficient for the fins of all it will be difficult to 
 fee how the offers of mercy may, confidently, 
 be made to all. And if mercy through an atone¬ 
 ment, may be confidently offered to all; it will 
 be afked, why may it not, alfo, be confidently 
 exercifed toward all and fo all be finally faved ? 
 
 Whether the doftrine of univerfal falvation 
 be a natural and certain confequence of Chaffs 
 Satisfaction , will depend upon the ideas that are 
 entertained of the Juffciency of the atonement 
 which is a&ually made for the fins of men. 
 
 It is therefore to be obferved, 
 
 I. That if by the fufficieney of Chrift’s atone* 
 ment be meant fuch a dif flay of divine righteouff 
 nefs as fuf erfedes all itfe of funijhment in the divine 
 government ; the atonement made by Chrift is 
 not fufficient for the recoveiy of all. It is plain 
 that all the valuable ends of punifhment were not 
 anfwered by the fufferings of Chrift. For both 
 reafon and revelation affure us that the evils 
 brought on mankind, in the prefent ftare, are 
 fruits of divine anger. And if univerfal peace 
 and happinefs in the future world, may certainly 
 
 be 
 
CHAP. X, 
 
 ▼ 4 O 
 
 L T ~ 
 
 be inferred from the furTerings of Chrifl; it wj.ll be 
 diulcult to give a reafon why fo many evils take 
 place in the prelent. If divine anger has been fo 
 abundantly displayed in the atonement, asto render 
 all future punifhment unneceffary ; it is hard to 
 conceive the reafon why fo man'v evils are inflifl- 
 edon the human race, in the prefent world. The 
 prefent futferings of mankind are an unanfwerable 
 proof that, however perfedhthe. atonement be, in 
 the divine view, all the valuable ends of punilh- 
 ment are riot actually anfwered, by it. For if it 
 would be inconfiflent with full atonement, for 
 God to bring evils on men, in the future world ; 
 it would be equally inconfiflent, for him to bring 
 evils on them, in the prefent. If on account of 
 the atonement, juflice demands an exemption 
 from all punifliment in the next world,j it equal¬ 
 ly demands it in this. It is therefore evident, 
 from fact," whatever difplays of divine righteouf- 
 nefs and anger were made in the bufferings of 
 Chrifl j that all the purpofes of divine benevo¬ 
 lence cannot be anfwered without a difplay of the 
 fame glorious attributes in a variety of evils 
 brought upon men. And if it may fubferve the 
 purpofes of divine benevolence to bring evils on 
 men in th's world ; we can by no means be cer¬ 
 tain that it will not fubferve the fame glorious 
 purpofes, to inPuift evils on them in the next. If 
 temporary evils may anl’wer valuable ends in the 
 government of God, we cannot be certain that 
 eternal ones may not alfo. If evils are neceffary 
 to the fulled, difplay of the divine glory ; we 
 have no fuSicient authority from the atonement to 
 deny that they always will be neceffary. If atone¬ 
 ment doth not prevent their prefent, neceffitv and 
 ufe ; we have no evidence that it will their future. 
 
 “ But” 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 14 3 
 
 “ But” fays the objector, cc the evils which are 
 cc brought on mankind, in the prefent ftate^ are 
 tc only defigned to form and raife the fubjedt to 
 “ higher degrees of felicity in the next world : 
 fC And therefore are fo far from manifefting di- 
 C£ vine anger, that they are but the natural ex- 
 tf preffions of God’s kindnefs to the fufferer. 
 £f Confequently, all the difplays of punitive juf- 
 “ tice that ever are to be made, were in fadl 
 cc made in the fufferings of ChrifL” 
 
 Besides the exprefs declarations of the word 
 of God, which abundantly prove that the evils 
 brought upon the world, are fruits of divine an¬ 
 ger ; it is to be obferved that this objedbion goes 
 on a ground which denies the neceffity of an atone¬ 
 ment, or of any exercife of punitive juftice : And 
 therefore cannot confidently infer univerfal fal- 
 vation from the atonement. The objection fup- 
 pofeth that the evils which God brings on the 
 human race, are no evidence of divine anger : 
 Confequently, univerfal falvation cannot be in- 
 fered from a difplay of divine anger in the buffer¬ 
 ings of Chrift. The objection fuppofes that the 
 evils brought on men are only defigned to beget 
 in them a higher relifh of happinefs ; and there¬ 
 fore, that infbead of teftifying anger, they exprefs 
 nothing but kindnefs ; and will certainly ilTue in. 
 higher degrees of felicity. 
 
 To the objection, confidered in this light, it 
 may be replied, 
 
 i. That it is far from being evident that merely 
 a fenfe of mifery, on the whole, increafes happi¬ 
 nefs. In order to take away the force of the ar¬ 
 gument for future punifhment, which would na¬ 
 turally arife from the evils of the prefent date; 
 
 U it 
 
144 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 it muft be fuppofed that pain and mifery heighten 
 pleafurs? j and are ni'cejfery to increafe the reiifn 
 of the good which it is fuppofed is laid up for 
 men in the next world. And, therefore, that 
 there is no evidence, from the evils of the prefent 
 {bate, that God is angry ; or that he has not the 
 highed; good of every fubjedt really at heart. 
 Thus it is fa id, it is well known that Icjfes fweet- 
 en enjoyments ; pain, pleafure j and fchiefs , 
 health. But that this argument may have weight, 
 it muft be fuppofed that men may confidently 
 (hoof? to lore 1'ome of their prefer.t comforts, in 
 order to fweeten the enjoyment of thofe that 
 remain— choofe fain to heighten pleafure ; and 
 fichiefs in order to enjoy health. But would any 
 man, in his fenfes, make fucn a choice ? would 
 any man be ghd of pain and fichzefs , that he 
 might know the pleafure of health—choofe to 
 have his houfe confumed by fire, that he might 
 enjoy the efcape of his wife and children—or lofe 
 
 one child , that lie might take gieater comfort in 
 tire reft r Common ftnfe, and the very feelings 
 of mankind revolt from the fuppofition. And 
 vet ail this muft be fuppofed, before the fenti- 
 mentthat prefent evils are no teflimonies of divine 
 anger, can be admiffible. For if natural evils 
 brought upon us in this world> are no teftimonles 
 of divine anger , there is no evidence that the fa¬ 
 vour end friendfhjp of God will fecure us againft 
 them, in the next. If they are a necefifary mean 
 of increafing felicity in the prefent (late ; where 
 is the evidence that they will not be fo in the fu¬ 
 ture ? And to what a height God may, in his 
 kind refs, raife them in the next world, it will be 
 impoffible for us with any kind of certainty, to 
 determine. The objection before us refls on the 
 fuppofition that our pleafures will be but feebfe. 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 i45 
 
 and our enjoyments fcon languish ; unlefs enli¬ 
 vened by a fenfe of pain. And il lo, there can 
 be no evidence that we fhall ever arrive at a hap¬ 
 pier ftate of exiftcnce, than the preient ; or be in 
 a iituation where the intermixture ot good and evil 
 will On the whole, be more favourable to felicity. 
 But if, on the- other hand, notwithitanding the 
 atonement, divine anger be manifefted in bringing 
 evils on men in this worlds it , can with no cer¬ 
 tainty be inferred from this doctrine that the wif- 
 dom of God will not fee it to be neceffary to 
 bring evils on mankind, in the world to come. 
 
 2. But if the objection goes on the fuppontion 
 that the evils and lbfferings of the prefent flare 
 give clearer vie'ws of the riches and glory of di¬ 
 vine grace and in that way prepare the fubje£b 
 for higher enjoyment; this will imply that thefe 
 evils are teftirnonies of divine an?er. And if a 
 
 o 
 
 view of divine anger be neceffary to the cleared 
 underftanding, and the higheft fenfe, of the na¬ 
 ture and excellency of divine grace ■ how can we 
 be Certain that it is not neceffary to the higheft 
 felicity of the human race, that fome manifeltati- 
 ons of divine anger fhould be made to eternity ? 
 and therefore that the happinefs of the race, on 
 the whole, may not be increafed by means of the 
 deft ruction of fome part of it? At leak fo much 
 is evident, that there is no ground on which the 
 objection before us can have weight, that will 
 imply the lead abfurdity in the dodtrine of eter¬ 
 nal punifhmcnt. Nor is there any thing in the 
 atonement more difficult to reconcile to future 
 manifeftations of divine anger, than to chafe 
 which are in faft made in the -prefent world. 
 
 II. If by the Jufficiency . of Chrilt’s atonement, 
 be meant fuch a manifcftation of divine difplea- 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 146 
 
 fure againft the wickednefs of men, as is enough 
 to convince every candid fpcdtator, that the dif- 
 pofition of the divine mind is perfectly conform¬ 
 able to the true fpirit of God’s written law ; it 
 may be truly faid that there is fufficient atone¬ 
 ment made for the fins of the whole world. It was 
 apparently, the defign of God that we Pnould infer y 
 from the bufferings of Chriit, the awful effects of 
 divine anger, ihould it fall with its full weight 
 
 O' O 
 
 upon us. Therefore, the Saviour, alluding to 
 his own bufferings, fays, fC For if they do thele 
 “ things in a green tree , what ihall be done in 
 ££ the dry ? :>I We cannot rationally fuppofe that 
 Chriit would have reafoned in this manner, unlefs 
 his own bufferings had beep, a fpecimen of divine 
 anger, from whence very amazing effefts, ihould 
 it fall immediately upon us, might be inferred. 
 
 When we con-fider the infinite dignity of the 
 character of Chriit, the bufferings which he en¬ 
 dured, in the place which he fuftained, give us 
 as lively apprehenfions of the righteous and inex¬ 
 orable anp-er of God againft iinners, as ail the 
 awful threatnings of the law can pollibly excite m 
 us. And, every one who receives the testimony 
 of Chriit, and truly gives into tire import of his 
 death, thereby bets to his leal that God is true : 
 Not only that the law itfelf is right; but that 
 the government of God is perfectly conformable 
 to the true fpirit of it. 
 
 Here there is a foundation laid, fufiicientjy 
 broad, for the general invitations or the gofpel j 
 and for that joyful proclamation, that whoever 
 will, may come and take of the waters oflife freely. 
 No glafs had ever yet been held up before men, 
 in which the divine wrath might be ib clearly 
 feen : Nor any thing ever exhibited, in the di¬ 
 vine 
 
 ’ Luke, 23. 31. 
 
CHAP. X, 
 
 *47 
 
 vine government., which would raife the ideas of 
 it, in creatures, to fuch a height j or enable 
 them to form jo juft an eftimate of it. 
 
 Here the direct end of atonement is anfwered ; 
 and fuch a manifeftation made of divine rights- 
 oufnefs, as prepared the way for a canfifteni exer- 
 cife of mercy. Nov;, God would not apoear to 
 give up his law, even though he pardoned the 
 linnet : Or, to exhibit a difpolition diverfe from 
 that which he exprefied in the law. But, merely 
 from the exhibition which was made of divine wrath 
 in the fufferings of Chnft, the pardon, even of 
 one finner could, with no certainty be inferred - 
 Unlefs it might be inferred from the higheft evi¬ 
 dences of the reality of God’s dipleafure againfc 
 us, that therefore he would, certainly, not $unijh , 
 but pardon us. Upon atonement being made, 
 the fituation and circumftances are fuch, that the 
 greac Governor of the world may confidently he- 
 ftow, or withhold mercy, juft as fhall tend mofc 
 effectually to anfwer the general purpoles of di¬ 
 vine goodnefs. Whereas, had there been no 
 atonement, there would have been the higheft in- 
 confrftency in the beftowment of pardon, even 
 on one (inner. Now, the divine benevolence 
 might exprefs itfeifin having mercy on whom it 
 would have mercy, and whom it would, harden¬ 
 ing ; juft as it would contribute to the greatefl. 
 felicity of the created fyftem : While, without an 
 atonement, benevolence itfeif could never have 
 urged, or even admitted, the pardon of one fm~ 
 ner. 
 
 The atonement, therefore, expreffeth a bene¬ 
 volence which has, for its object, the higheft 
 good of the creation —that very character of 
 God v/hich is expreffed in the free and general 
 
 invitation 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 1 4 3 
 
 invitations of the gofpel. From the atonement , 
 therefore, the uni veil al falvation of fanners cannot 
 with the leaft appearance of reafon, be inferred ; 
 unlefs it be fir ft made further evident, that the ends 
 of the truell and moil perfect benevolence cannot 
 othnwffe be oompleatiy anfwered : which, it is 
 preiumed cannot be done. ’This doklrine, conse¬ 
 quently, never originated the opinion that finners 
 of mankind would be universally faved : But, it 
 mint have arrfen from feme other quarter. 
 
 It being thus rrranifeft that the doctrine of 
 atonement is far from being fufficient to fupport 
 the lately prevailing fentiment reSpeffing univer¬ 
 sal falvation, we may proceed to mention fome 
 things which give reafon to fuppofe that the very 
 ends of the atonement may be more perfectly an¬ 
 fwered without the universal falvation of finners, 
 than by it : And, that the eternal deftrudtion of 
 Some part of the human race, will bellow a luffre 
 on this doTirinc , which it would want without it. 
 
 It may, firfl, be obferved, in general, that 
 whatever illuftrates the dignity and glory of the 
 character of Chrilt, does, of courle, give import 
 and f gnifcancy to the atonement. The higher 
 the dignity and excellence of Chrilt’s character 
 rife, in the view of creatures; the more important 
 will his Sufferings! and death naturally appear. 
 The greater import, alfo, there appears to be, in 
 the Sufferings of the Saviour; the deeper will the 
 impreffons be, on the minds of creatures, of the 
 awful anger of God again!! finners. By how 
 much the hio-her ideas of divine anger again!! fin, 
 rife in the creature; by fo much the more clear 
 and lively will be the fenfe and view of the free¬ 
 dom and riehneSs of fovereign grace : which will, 
 
 proportionahly. 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 149 
 
 proportionably, contribute to the greater felicity 
 of the fubjefts of it. So that it appears to be of 
 great importance, even to the very ends of the 
 atonement itfelf, that the dignity of Chrift’s cha¬ 
 racter fnould be fet in the cleared; point oi view. 
 
 Hence it is that the human race are, all, gi¬ 
 ven into the hand of Chrift, for him to difpofe of 
 forever : As appears from his being appointed 
 the judge of the world. And, that the atonement 
 may receive additional import from the eternal 
 deftruftion of fmners, and the glory of Chrift’s 
 char after be greatly illuftrated by the vengeance 
 which lie takes upon his enemies, is evident from 
 the following confederations, viz. 
 
 1. The dignity and glory of a Conqueror, ap¬ 
 pear as illuftrious in the deftruftion of his 
 enemies, as in the deliveranceof his friends : And 
 regards to the public good, are as fcrongly paint¬ 
 ed in the evils which are infiifted on the opppfers 
 of it, as in the protection which is offered to its 
 friends. Therefore, the Father is reprefentecl as 
 faying to Chrift, in confequence of his having 
 fmilhed the work of redemption, “ Aftc of me, 
 “ and I will give the heathen for thine inherit- 
 <c ance, and the uttermoft parts of the earth, for 
 
 thy pofteffion. Thou fhalt break them with 
 “ a rod of iron, thou jhalt dafn them in pieces 
 <c like a potter's vejjel In this way is Chrift to 
 triumph over his enemies. This is to be a part 
 of his reward for his fufferings. And, a promife 
 of fuch a triumph would never have been made 
 to him, unlefs it would contribute to his 
 greater glory, and render his merit more confpi- 
 cuous. And, if the true merit and glory of 
 
 Chrift’s 
 
 Pf. 2. 8, 9. 
 
150 
 
 CHAP. X, 
 
 Chrifi’s chara&fr may be illuftrated in this way ■, 
 this would naturally lead us to expect that his 
 tender love to Ins church and his infinite aver- 
 fion from the enemies of-bis caufe and kingdom 
 will be exhibited in awful vengeance on impe- 
 intent Tinners, at the day of judgment. 
 
 1. Christ’s executing vengeance at the dav 
 of judgment, will naturally exprefs a higher de¬ 
 gree oi refpeft to the moral law, than could have 
 appeared without it. The real merit of Chrift, 
 in c her after of mediator, confifteth foiely in his 
 regards to the moral law, cr to that charafter of 
 Jm . i which is expreffed in it. Had not his 
 obedience and death, while upon earth, flowed 
 from this principle, it would have been of no 
 worth in the fight of God. But becaufe he loved 
 righteoujncjs, and hated iniquity] therefore God, 
 his God, hath anointed him with the oil of glad- 
 r.efs above his fellow's.' Had he not expreffed 
 the higheft fenfe of the excellency of the divine 
 Jaw, iiis obedience and death would not have 
 been the lead ground for mercy to finners. 
 
 But while he was upon earth, neither in his life, 
 nor in his death, had Chrifi advantage to exprefs, 
 in full perfeftion, his infinite love to the law of 
 God. For this lie needed to fuftain a different 
 charafter from that which he appeared in while 
 on earth ; and to be in a different fiction. While 
 in the world, he held the fiation of a fervent ; 
 and appeared, and acted, in no other capacity. 
 S 'hen he expreffed the mofit perfect refpeft and 
 love for the divine law, which his fituation and 
 charafter would admit of being expreffed. He 
 acted his part in perfection here upon earth. 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 151 
 
 His whole life was a fcene of the moft perfetff and 
 fpotlefs obedience ; and that in the midft of the 
 greateft oppofuion and trials. And further to dis¬ 
 cover his entire approbation of the divine lav/, and 
 the high estimation in which he held that glorious 
 charader of Jehovah which appears in it the 
 Saviour himfelf fubmitted to death, and volun¬ 
 tarily became a curfe. But the part which he 
 had to aft for God, and for his glory and honour 
 as the great lav/giver and judge, was not yet 
 come to an end. Therefore was it of importance 
 that he fhould be fet at the head of the univerfe ; 
 be appointed judge of quick and dead ; and pafs 
 the Solemn decifive fentence, which would fix; the 
 fate of creatures to eternity. In this high and 
 exalted ftation, the regards of the divine mediator 
 to the moral law, his love of righteoufnefs and 
 hatred of iniquity, are expreffed in ways in which 
 he had no advantage to difeover them, while he 
 was upon earth ; and glow in colours in which 
 they never could before appear. Before, he ma¬ 
 nifested love enough to the law of God, as a Jer- 
 'uanty to obey it even unto death : Now, as a King 
 and Judge, to administer government according 
 to the Strict tenour of it; difpenfing rewards and 
 punishments, and actually infiifling the death 
 which the law threatens. As a fervant, he loved 
 it to a degree which engaged him to endure th? 
 curfe ; as a King, to inSidt it. Before, it appear¬ 
 ed that he loved finners well enough to die for 
 them ; now, that he loves God well enough eter¬ 
 nally to damn them. 
 
 From his Station, therefore, as King and Judge, 
 the Mediator is viewed in a different light frorn 
 what he Could appear in before ; and clearer dis¬ 
 coveries are made of his real and tranfcendently 
 X excellent 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 15* 
 
 Excellent character. Now his love to the di¬ 
 vine law puts on a different form from any in 
 which it had before been ever feen. And this 
 aft of awful juft-ice, in dooming impenitent fin- 
 ners to eternal death, gives an import* a fignifi- 
 eancy, to the fufferings of Chrift, which crea¬ 
 tures never could have apprehended without it ; 
 giving a folemn majefty to his death, which will 
 enable his people, forever, more highly to 
 prize it. 
 
 Here we lee an obvious reafon why the Medi¬ 
 ator Ihould be appointed the judge of the world. 
 This exalted ftation, the holy feriptures teach 
 us, was given him in reward for his fufferings, 
 for his obedience unto death. And, in this laft 
 folemn aft, before he gives' up the -kingdom into 
 the hand of the Father, he hath advantage to 
 exhibit, in more flrong and glorious colours than 
 cculd ever before appear,, the perfect union and 
 harmony, in himfeif and in his arduous work, 
 o f mercy and truths and of rightecujnejs and -peace, 
 d'hej'e not only have harmonized and united in all 
 the doctrines which lie taught, and the w'ork 
 which Tie accomplifliecl, on earth j but they meet., 
 and klfs each other in the folemn fentence of his 
 lips, <c Come, ye blefied of my Father, inherit 
 T the kingdom prepared for you, from the 
 
 foundation of the world,” And, <( depart, ye 
 11 curled, into everiafting fire, prepared for the 
 <c devil and his angels.” 
 
 3. The greater refpeeft is manifefled to the 
 law of God, by fuch a perfon as Chriji who died 
 for jinners ; the more evident will be, both th? 
 evil of fin, and the necefilty and import of the 
 atonement. 
 
 All 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 
 All the new honours reflected upon the'divine 
 law, by the mediator, neceffa-rily increafe and 
 heighten the ideas of the evil of fm. And, by 
 how much the more the evil and malignity of 
 fm are made manifeft ; by fo much the more ne- 
 ceffary will the atohement appear : and the fig- 
 nificancy and importance of it be proportions- 
 bly increafed, in the eft i m at ion of creatures. 
 'And yet, without this laid and folemn act of 
 judgment, it is exceedingly manifeft: that the 
 high eftimation in which the divine law is held 
 by the divine Redeemer, could never be fo 
 clearly difcovcred, or fo fenfibly apprehended by 
 creatures ; even, though he died to magnify and 
 make it honourable. The faints, therefore would 
 forever be destitute of that uifeovery of righte- 
 oufnefs, in the mediator, which, above every 
 thing elfe, crowns thofe regards of his, to the 
 law of God, which he exprefled in dying upon 
 the crofs. 
 
 But, when the regard of Chrift, to the di¬ 
 vine law, is feen from the feat of judgment, and 
 expreffed in a fentence of everlafting punifhment 
 upon impeninent fmners j the faints will then fee, 
 in a more clear light than they ever could before, 
 how great a thing it was for Chrift to die forjin- 
 vers ; and himfelf, become a curje for them, that 
 they might be the righteoujncjs of Cod in him. By 
 thefe means, therefore, tne divine purity and ha¬ 
 tred of iniquity will be greatly heightened to the 
 views of creatures ; and,'clearer apprehenfions, 
 confequently, be had of the nature, the extent, 
 and the glory of divine, fovereign mercies : All 
 which, it is eafy to fee, contribute to a vaft en¬ 
 largement of the powers and ftappinefs of thofe 
 who are laved by Chrift. 
 
 But., 
 
154 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 But, on the other hand, fhould it be that the 
 fentence of the lav/ is, in no inflance executed, 
 at the laft da/; it is exceedingly manifeft that 
 one glorious teftimony of Chrift’s refpecl to the 
 divine law will be wanting; And, therefore, one 
 evidence, of the neceffity and importance of his 
 death. And, in proportion as the evidence of all 
 thefe is defedtive, the ideas of divine grace mind 
 be diminifhed j and the glory of the whole gofpei 
 fade away. 
 
 These obfervations make it manifefl that the 
 atonement , notwithstanding its entire fufHciency 
 and fullnefs, is far from implying, either a neceffi- 
 ty, or certainty, of the falvation of the whole hu¬ 
 man race : So far from it that, on the other hand, 
 both the necefllty and import of the atonement 
 may be greatly illuftrated by the eternal deflrucli- 
 on of impenitent Tinners. And if the preceeding 
 obfervations are jufr, the true nature of atonement 
 could never be feen, nor properly underflood, 
 nor the real worth of it be fuitably eftimated, 
 were the penalty of the law, in no in fiance, exe¬ 
 cuted in its full extent upon tranlgreffors. 
 
 And as the fenfe we have of divine grace mull 
 neceflarily be in proportion to the ideas we enter¬ 
 tain of God’s hatred of iniquity ; itfeems no more 
 than rational to fuppofe that, in order to preferve 
 and heighten a fenfe of grace, in thofe who are 
 laved from among men ; there will be perpetual 
 difplays of divine anger, on veffels of wrath. 
 And to fee this vengeance executed by him vjho 
 himjelf became a curje for his people , will greatly 
 exalt his character, and give a language, a figni- 
 ficancy, to his death, which was never before fo 
 clearly underflood. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 It may be of advantage before we difmifs the 
 fubject, to turn our attention, for a little while, 
 to i'ome of the natural confequences of a denial of 
 the doctrine of atonement; or of the fuppofition 
 that the mere perfevering obedience of Chrifi , was 
 all that was neceffary to open a way for mercy to 
 finners. The-fe two opinions will probably be 
 found, on careful inquiry, to amount to one and 
 the fame thing : At leaf:, not to be materially dif¬ 
 ferent in their confequences. They both deny 
 any real neceffity, arifing either from the moral 
 character of God, or from any other confiderati- 
 on, of his executing any punifhments ; or, when 
 fn had taken place? of difplaving in its natural 
 fruits, that difpleafure which the penalties of the 
 law would naturally fugged:. 
 
 O n thefe fentiments it may be obferved, 
 
 i. That if it be unneceiiary to the glory of 
 the divine character, and the good of God’s mo¬ 
 ral government, that he fhould exprefs his ddf- 
 pleafure againft fin , when it had actually taken 
 place, by inflicting natural evil ; it was of courfe 
 unnecefiary that God fhould ever threaten the Tin¬ 
 ner v/ith natural evil. Where the general good 
 doth not require punifhments to be infiiCled, it 
 doth not require that they fhould be threatned. 
 So alfo in cafes where benevolence will not ex- 
 prefs difpleafure, it will not threaten creatures 
 with it. It difcovers capricicufnefs and want of 
 wifdom, to annex penalties to laws, which never 
 need be executed—to exprefs difpleafure in words 3 
 in cafes wherein it doth not in faff exift. On 
 fuppofition, therefore, that God’s difpleafure 
 
 againft 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 156 
 
 again ft Tinners never need be exprefTed in natural 
 evils ; it is evident that the moral law, abound¬ 
 ing as it does with awful threatnings, doth not 
 exp refs the true and real character of Gcd ; but 
 •one infinitely the reveife ; exhibiting in words , 
 anger which hath no exiftencs in the divine mind, 
 and dreiTxng the great governor cf the world in 
 vengeance, while anger is not in him. Nothing, 
 therefore, can more direftly fubvert the firft prin¬ 
 ciples of divine revelation, than the luppofition 
 that it is unnecessary to the glory of tire divine cha- 
 rafter, that God fnould exprefs, in natural evil, 
 his difpleafure againft fin. That opinion which 
 fuopofeth that fin might have been forgiven with- 
 out atonement, clothes the divine Being in a 
 charafter exceedingly diverfe from that in which 
 he appears in the moral law ; and reprel'ents him 
 as being poftefied of a goodnejs of an exceedingly 
 different nature from that which the moral law 
 naturally exhibits. Therefore, for Chrift -to 
 'come, and magnify this layo and do it honor 
 .when it exhibits a charafter, in God, fo infinite¬ 
 ly diverfe from that which would certainly have 
 iaved finners, even though Chrift had never ap¬ 
 peared on earth; would be very far from being 
 pleafing to the Father : And never, in his view, 
 could have merited that high ftation to which he 
 is now exalted. 
 
 These confcquences necefiarily flow from a 
 denial of the necefllcy of an atonement ; if it be 
 granted that the moral law, as promulgated in 
 the facred Scriptures, fpeaks the mind and will 
 of God. If the divine will, the feelings of the 
 divine mind, perfectly correfpond with the writ¬ 
 ten law } it is inconceivable that God’s anger 
 a gain ft Tinners fnould not be exprefTed, in his 
 
 moral 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 157 
 
 moral government, by natural evil. And when 
 we conuder the fupremacy and mighty power of 
 God, to deny the need of natural evil in order 
 truly to exprefs the character of God, when fin 
 hath'actually taken place ; is the fame as to deny 
 that there are any feelings in the divine mind, 
 which, in their natural ccnfequences and exprcflions 
 would bring evil on finners. For if Inch feelings 
 exift in the divine mind, they cannot be known 
 otherwife than by being exprejftd in God's works. 
 And if it is God’s great end to make himfelf 
 known, and in works exhibit his true character to 
 the views of his creatures; there is no more rea- 
 fon to fuppofe that the icenes of divine govern¬ 
 ment will be deflitute of the fruits of this part of 
 the character of God, than of thole which direct¬ 
 ly exprefs his approbation of virtue. 
 
 The fuppofition, therefore, that atonement is 
 not need!ary to the exercife of mercy toward 
 finners, evidently implies that the.written law 
 doth not, in fact, fpeak the very mind and will 
 of God : But that the law itfelf, at furthell, in¬ 
 timates no more than that the (inner who perfifts 
 in wicksdnejs fhali fall under the divine anger. 
 But that perfevering wickeclnefs and impenitency, 
 and thele only, fliall fubjedt us to the anger of 
 God, is fo far from being the language of the 
 divine law, that it curfeth every one that ccntinu- 
 etfr not in all things written in the book of the law 
 to do them. If, therefore, nothing but perfeve- 
 fing wickednefs fo incurs the divine anger as to 
 expofe to natural evil; nothing can be more cer¬ 
 tain than that the written law doth not indeed 
 truly exprefs the will of God. This mu ft be 
 true, unlefs the plain and natural language of the 
 law, is that only certain, atrocious fan fliall be 
 
 puni/hed. 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 i 5 3 
 
 punifned. And if the confequenees of a denial 
 of the neceffi ty of atonement, which have already 
 been mentioned, be admitted to Hand until this 
 can be found to be the language of God’s written 
 law ; they will not fuddenly be l'ubverted. 
 
 He that can put fuch a conftru&ion on the 
 moral law as leaves room for the efcape of finners 
 of certain denominations ana characters ; with an 
 equal degree of dexterity in criticifm and con- 
 fuudtion, wdli foon difcovcr that finners of every 
 denomination may, even by law, be exempted from 
 punifiiment: And therefore enjoy, for a little 
 while, the poor confciation of believing that an¬ 
 ger is not in God, and that there are no punilh- 
 ments for the wicited. 
 
 2. If it be unnecefiary to the glory of the di¬ 
 vine government, thjit God’s anger againft fin¬ 
 ners ftiouid be exfrejjed in bringing natural evil } 
 it is equally unneceffary that any fuch difpleafure 
 as would, in its natural fruits and operation, 
 bring evil on finners, mould ever have exigence 
 in the divine mind. The fuppofition that divine 
 anger need not be exercifed and exprelfed, im¬ 
 plies that it is of no ufe ; and therefore not an 
 excellency in God : And confequently can have 
 no exiftence in him. 
 
 Thus the opinion that there is no neceifity for 
 God’s expltffing his anger againd finders, by 
 bringing natural eviLs upon them ; not only cuts 
 off the penalties of the law, but exhibits the di¬ 
 vine character i del fin a point of light exceeding¬ 
 ly diverfe from that which the moral law natu¬ 
 rally exprexTeth. And the denial of any necefiity 
 of atonement, in order to a confident exercife of 
 
 pardon 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 i 
 
 *59 
 
 pardon and mercy ; plainly amounts to a denial 
 of the neceffity of punifhments, under the divine 
 government; or of any neceffity arifing from the 
 divine perfection, that God ffiould ever exprefs 
 difpleafure by inflicting natural evil. 
 
 Nearly the fame confeauences are involved 
 in the opinion that the - f erf ever ing obedience of 
 Chrift was all that was neeejtary in order to open 
 a way for mercy to finners. For unlefs this per- 
 ievering obedience exprefled divine anger againfl 
 finners it is rnanifeft that there is no neceffity 
 that God ffiould either exercife, or exprefs anger : 
 And therefore, all the confequences which flow 
 from a denial of the neceffity of atonement, flow 
 equally from this conftruCtion of the nature of it. 
 
 But to fay that Chrift’s obedience exprefled di¬ 
 vine anger againfl; finners, is the fame as to fay 
 that all that anger which exifls in the divine mind, 
 againfl: them, may be exprefled without natural 
 evil—without .punifhments. This is evident; 
 becaufe it is implied in the fuppofition before us, 
 that Chrift exprefled and acted out the character 
 of God ;—that the cifpofmon of the divine mind 
 was perfectly delineated in Chrift, and in his obedi¬ 
 ence. And if the whole difpofition of the divine 
 mind toward finners, may be exprefled without 
 natural evil, without puniffiment 5 it is plain 
 that no puniffiment is ever to be expeCted or fear¬ 
 ed : And that for this obvious reafon, that there 
 is in faCt no difpofition in the divine mind actu¬ 
 ally to puniffi offenders ; or to bring natural 
 evil upon them. 
 
 Further ; to fay that God exprefleth difplea-* 
 fure againfl; finners by rewarding the obedience of 
 Y Chrifi 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 160 
 
 Chrift tvkb & parch'd tcrfmners ; is ftill faying that 
 there is no. anger in God; but. what may be pro¬ 
 perly and fully exprdjed by bellowing rewards. 
 It would be abfurd to fugppfe .that the rewards 
 which a inaifer, or apparent, bellows upon an 
 obedient fervant, or child, exprefs difpleafure 
 ’againft the reft of the family* And if fuoh be 
 "ell the anger that ever- exifts in the head of a fa- 
 mily neither children, nor fervanis, need ever 
 be afraid of poniffiment. So if all the difpleafure 
 which exifts in the- divine mind againft iinners, 
 may. be exprefied in rewarding the obedience cf 
 Chrift ■, it is apparent that there is no difpleafure 
 which need ever be exprefied in iniliSting pun- 
 ilhmcnt. 
 
 Should it be urged that both the Father and 
 •the Son exprefied difpleafure againft finners, by 
 unitedly acting againft the caufe of fin ; and that 
 this is ail the way in which it is neceffary the di¬ 
 vine anger fhould appear; the confequence would 
 ftill be that there is no dilpofit-ion in the divine 
 mind to punifh offenders. Becaufe this implies 
 that God may exprefs all the difpleafure which 
 he really hath againft finners, by aching in fifth a 
 manner, in his providence, for the caufe of 
 righteoufnefs, and againft that of iniquity, as 
 would render all punifnment unneceffary. 
 
 The denial of any necefjity of atonement, 
 and every con ft ruff ion of the nature of it which 
 fenders punilliments unneceffary ; are equally 
 iubvcrfive of the moral law. Every explanation 
 of the nature of atonement which implies it to 
 be unneceffary that God fhould exprefs anger 
 againft finners by natural evils ; inverts the di¬ 
 vine Being with a character very different from 
 
 that 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 161 
 
 that which the moral law naturally exprelles. 
 All fuch ideas, either of the neceffity or nature of 
 atonement, fuppofe that there is nothing in the 
 moral law which would naturally and nec'effarily 
 forbid an expectation of pardon, upon repent¬ 
 ance, even though Chrift had never come into 
 the world : And therefore, that the penalties of 
 the law do not, in words, exprefs any fuch riif- 
 pleafure againft f nners, as, in its natural opera¬ 
 tion and fruits, would bring the punifhments fpo- 
 ken of in the law, upon them. Such ideas of- 
 atonement Imply that, whatever difapprobatiord 
 may exift in the divine mind, of the charadbers-of' 
 iinners ; ftillit is of luch a nature that it may all 
 be expreffed. without natural evil : Or, at lead, , 
 that we could not have inferred from the cleared: 
 view we could have had of it, that God would' 
 ever ptmifh dinners.;: even had Chrift-never come 
 into the world and. died. 
 
 -- The whole controverfy rdpefli-ng atonement,'' 
 therefore, turns upon the - explanation of the mo¬ 
 ral law; and probably arifes from different con- 
 ftru&ions put upon it.. If the written law is ex- 
 preftive of an anger in God againft finners, which, 
 in its natural operation would bring eternal pun- 
 ifhment upon them it is obvious -that the fpirit 
 of the law cannot be preferved in government, 
 unlefs this anger be, in fome fenlibie' way, exhk-’ 
 hi ted to the views-of creatures : arid confequent- 
 ly, that it .would be. inconfiftent with the chara'c- 
 ter of God to pardon finners without an atone¬ 
 ment ; and fuch an one as fhoul'd exhibit this' 
 anger ; and in which it fhould appear to burn 
 againft finners. '■ M v 
 
 But on the other hand, if God may confident- 
 
 : m ^ 1 ly 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 162 
 
 ly pardon Tinners without an atonementf or with¬ 
 out exhibiting an anger which would bring eter¬ 
 nal deftruCtion upon Tinners, lhould it fall imme¬ 
 diately upon them ; it is obvious, either, that the 
 Jaw exhibits no fuch character,. in the great Go¬ 
 vernor of the world, as would naturally lead us 
 to expect fuch an event ; or that the true cha¬ 
 racter of God is not fairly delineated in the mo¬ 
 ral law. For that the lav/ fhould threaten eter¬ 
 nal death to every tranfgreffor, and at the fame 
 time fairly and faithfully delineate the moral 
 character of God ; and yet that God fhould par¬ 
 don the Tinner without any atonement ; is a raa- 
 nifeft abfurdity. The fuppofition,' therefore, 
 that God may confidently pardon, without any 
 atonement, either wholly fubverts the divine law, 
 or gives a view of it- totally different from that 
 which is. naturally exhibited ip an atonement. 
 
 Here, then, according to the ideas of thofe 
 ■who deny the atonement, are the true feelings.of 
 genuine, gracious repentance 2 at lead: it involves 
 an apprehenfion that it would be inconfiftent with 
 the very nature, and with every idea of goodnejs , 
 for God to fhut us out from his favour. From 
 any repentance toward God, which involves thofe 
 ideas of the divine character, it is eafy to fee the 
 human heart is not naturally very averfe. Yea, 
 to define any material; change, with refpeCt to 
 its views of the divine character, which takes 
 place.in the human heart, in repentance ; will, 
 on this hypotheiis, be utterly impracticable. 
 Surely no fuch change can be conceived as ren+ 
 decs divine, fupennatural influences, inanymsa- 
 fure neceffary. We need not, therefore, .be fur- 
 jprifed to hear thofe wl>o deny the pecefiity .of 
 
 atonement* 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 ' i;6j 
 
 \ 
 
 atonement, renounce every ides of divine fuper- 
 natural operation, in the converfion of Tinners. 
 
 And with what appearance of confiftency, gen¬ 
 tlemen who entertain Inch ideas refpeding atpne- 
 rnent, can urge that this is a do&rine which Sub¬ 
 verts the very notion of grace in the pardon of 
 Tinners ; is hard to be conceived. For, with Such, - 
 it is a fundamental maxim that it would be 
 confident with gocdnefs to deny.pardon to peni¬ 
 tents. On this foundation the fuperftrudure of 
 their whole fyftem is built. And what grace there 
 can be in conferring pardon, in cafes wherein if 
 would be unjujt and cruel to withhold it, cannot 
 pofiibly be imagined. Little reafon have thofe 
 who entertain fuch fentiments, to exclaim againft 
 the advocates of atonement, as denying the doc¬ 
 trines of free grace in the falva’tion of finners. - 
 
 Thus manifefl i3 it, that the denial of atone¬ 
 ment makes a total change in the aiped, not only 
 of the moral law, but alfo of the whole chriftian 
 fyftem. It exhibits both the divine character it- 
 felf, the dodrines cf Chrift and his Apoftles, 
 and the terms on which the ftnner may be par¬ 
 doned and faved, in a light infinitely diverfe 
 from that in which they all appear in the atone¬ 
 ment of Chrift. 
 
 And now it muft be left with the candid, in¬ 
 telligent reader, to judge for himfelf; faithfully 
 comparing what is here offered with the unerring 
 oracles cf God. Theje ate the only ftandard of 
 truth ; and by thefe muftjevery dodrine be tried. 
 Every fentiment, every iheme of dodrine that 
 will not bear this teft, however cherilhed, or by 
 ■whatever great name it beaut hold fed, will fooner 
 or later fall to the ground, \ While, on the other 
 
 hand 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 hand,•■'every fyftem, and every fentiment that is 
 found here, however unpopular, however explo¬ 
 ded by the great and the wife, among men ; will 
 infallibly ftand, And fhine, 
 and etvr. 
 
 nd brighten forever 
 
 .An d the whole mult be left with PI I M who, 
 hrnklft. made atonement for .the fins of the world j 
 for .him to ufe, and to difpofe of, as in infinite- 
 wifdom, he fhall. fee will be for the belt. With 
 Him the caule of truth may be confided; in his 
 hand it is infinitely fafe. M.ay the time be hafc- 
 ened when th.e darknefs fhall be difpejled, and. 
 the light fhall fhine ■. when his truth, fuch as it is, 
 fhall be known and be ccnfefied, from one end: 
 of the earth even unto the other; and the whole 
 earth final! be full of the knowledge of the glory 
 of the Lord. AMEN. 
 
 -w. 
 
 . I i . i 
 
 ,1 Va 
 
 a vA 
 
 i •** 
 
 : vj \ 
 
 k 4-»4<J 
 
Errata. 
 
 13 ACE 6, Line 2, from the Bottom, for its read his. P, 15, L. 
 
 J5_ 11, between he and ultimately, infert not. P. 16, L. 9, read in 
 
 order that his Jalvatien may he confijlent with the end of God, Sec. P. ao, v 
 L. 6, ir. Bot. tor courfe read method. P. 21, L. 6, lor courfc react 
 meth d. P. 53, L. 6, for induced read, endured. P. 59, L. 2;, for 
 fanfrifed read facrifced. P. 104, L. 21, for approbation read disap¬ 
 probation. P. 117. L. 1, dele not. P. 126, L. 4, fojr t-ben read thus. 
 
 P. 132, L. 9, fr. Bot. for fovereign read foreign . 
 
) * 
 
 ' • A J. 
 
 
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