(easy to determine; unless it should be faid, that it was only propitiatory as it respected and fhadowed forth the Lamb of God, in whom alone the father has declared himself well pleased, which is the very thing we contend for. That facrifices were sometimes euchariftical, is not denied; but that they were always fuch cannot be allowed without the greatest violation of truth. The heathen nations who it is probable either retained the custom of facrifices and the notion of their being propitiatory, as handed down from the first ages of the world, and the common parents * of mankind; or had in imitation of the people of Ifrael offered flain beasts in facrifice, in hopes to propitiate their false Gods and insure their help and fuccour; confidered their facrifices which they frequently offered to be propitiatory. This aрpears from the well known passage in the heathen poets, when the pestilence raged in the grecian camp, the cause was fought whether facrifices to Jupiter might not propitiate him, and procure exemption from the reigning death; which shews their notion of a facrifice to have been what we contend for. This is further confirmed by the practice of those nations that lived nearest to the people of Ifrael, and at a time when sacrifices were most in ufe. I Sam. chap. vi. 3. When the Lord plagued the Philistines because they had taken the ark of God, they called, ver. 2. for the priests and diviners, faying, " what shall we do " to the ark of the Lord? Tell us wherewith " we shall fend it to its place.” And they faid, " if ye send away the ark of the God of Ifrael, " send it not empty; but in any wife return him "a trespass-offering; then shall ye be healed." Thus Thus it appears that facrifices were first intended as propitiatory, and have been always confidered as such, both by the heathen nations, and the people of God themselves, for whom they were primarily inftituted. But the thing to be proved was, that the facrifice of our Lord Jesus Chrift was of this kind; which proof will appear by the following reasoning. If these sacrifices which in themselves were but types, and shadows, were propitiatory as they had respect unto the antitype, and substance; much more shall that antitype and substance itself, be such. But that antitype and substance is Jesus Christ; for it has been already proved that he was a perfect facrifice. Therefore the facrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ was propitiatory. All this is further confirmed by the phraseology of the new teftament, when the great messenger of the covenant was to be manifested to the world, and all the prophecies concerning him were now to be accomplished; his harbinger was sent to prepare his way before him, and bear testimony of him to the people. When Noah had built an altar and offered burnt offerings after the flood, it is faid, the Lord smelled a sweet favour, God beheld in the facrifice then offered, that lively image of his fon, in which his foul is fatisfied; but this in respect to the real fact was yet afar off. But now, Immanuel, God with us, appears in the flesh; he is declared by an audible voice to be the son of God, in whom I am well pleased. I acquesce, I rest satisfied-The blood of flain beasts could not delight the foul of God; but the sacrifice of his fon, as it made a full atonement for fin, was fatisfactory. apostle Paul calls Chrift, the propitiation, Rom. iii, 25. the mercy-feat, Heb. ix. 5. feeing it is by faith in his blood, that we obtain mercy, and God is reconciled to us. "If any man fin," 1. John ii. 1, 2. “ we have an advocate, who is the ८८ propitiation for our fins." And notwithstanding fin had wrought in our hearts an enmity against God, yet, "when we were enimies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his fon Rom. v. 10. And God hath put into the hands of his ministers the word of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Chrift reconciling the world unto himfelf." 2 Cor. v. 18. "For God fo loved the world, that he fent his fon the pro"pitiation for our fins." I John iv. 10. As the fcriptures of the old and new teftament from beginning to end have a special reference to this, we only need advert unto them, to receive all the proof, minds open to conviction can defire. We come 3dly to shew, that Christ's fufferings, were vicarious, and that as a furety he stood engaged to discharge the debt, of fin his people stood chargeable with; and that what he suffered, was in the room, or stead of others. That he was a substitute, and fuffered instead of finners, will lose the aspect of injustice with which some are bold enough to charge the divine procedure; when the fcriptural account of things is attended to; which every where fets forth Jesus Christ as taking his people's fin upon himself, and therefore in his own body bearing the punishment due to fin. Sometimes Christ is represented as bearing fins in types, and shadows, in the ceremonial law; and indeed most of the sacrifices offered refpected him in this view. The finner behoved when cafting his corn into the fire, which otherwise God had given him for food, to confess that his defert by reason of fin, was thus to be cast into the everlafting flame of God almighty's wrath; and humbly to acknowledge when the facrificing knife pierced the bleeding victim's heart, this, this, and much more, his fins had laid him obnoxious to; and that in hope of a more perfect facrifice to be offered, he looked thro' the shadow to the fubstance. The special instance of the scape-goat, Levit. xvi. may serve as an illustration of this truth. Aaron the priest must take two goats, and present them before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; and caft lots upon them there, one lot for the Lord, and another lot for the scape-goat; and the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, must be offered for a fin offering. This fignified to the people, that God was a holy fin-hating, and fin-punishing God; and that would by no means clear the guilty; and herein bore towards the offender, a most formidable aspect of the most spotless purity, and inflexible justice. Afterwards the live-goat must be presented before the Lord, and Aaron the highpriest, (the figure of the great high-priest of our profession,) must lay both his hands upon the head of the live-goat; (both hands) by way of acknowledgment, "Lord we thy people and the 66 66 66 sheep of thine hand, have done what we ought not, and left undone what we ought to have done," " and confefs over him all the iniqui"ties of the children of Ifrael, and all their tranfgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat." Here is a transfer of fin, or guilt by divine appointment; now to ask, how can these things be? Only betrays a vicious curiofity 1 curiosity in converting to matter of speculation ८८ 66 66 fy the ungodly." At other times we may view the fame important truth, exhibited in the expreffive language of the prophets and apostles. If. liii. 4. Surely he hath born our griefs, and "carried our forrows; ver. 5. he was wounded " for our tranfgreffions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him. ver. 6. All we like sheep have gone astray, and the Lord hath laid on him the ini"quity of us all." Agreeable to which, is 2 Cor. V. 21, "He hath made him to be fin for us, "who knew no fin. Chrift hath redeemed us " from 66 ८८ : 1 |