eafy to determine; unless it should be faid, that it was only propitiatory as it refpected and fhadowed forth the Lamb of God, in whom alone the father has declared himself well pleafed, 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 cuftom of facrifices and the notion of their being propitiatory, as handed down from the firft 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 falfe Gods and insure their help and fuccour; confidered their facrifices which they frequently offered to be propitiatory. This appears from the well known paffage in the heathen poets, when the peftilence raged in the grecian camp, the caufe was fought whether facrifices to Jupiter might not propitiate him, and procure exemption from the reigning death; which fhews their notion of a facrifice to have been what we contend for. This is further confirmed by the practice of thofe nations that lived nearest to the people of Ifrael, and at a time when facrifices were most in ufe. 1 Sam. chap. vi. 3. When the Lord plagued the Philiftines because they had taken the ark of God, they called, ver. 2. for the priefts and diviners, faying, " what shall we do 66 to the ark of the Lord? Tell us wherewith "we shall send it to its place." And they faid, "if ye fend away the ark of the God of Ifrael, "fend it not empty; but in any wife return him "a a trefpafs-offering; then fhall ye be healed."

Thus

Thus it appears that facrifices were firft intended as propitiatory, and have been always confidered as fuch, 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 Jefus Christ was of this kind; which proof will appear by the following reafoning. If these facrifices which in themselves were but types, and fhadows, were propitiatory as they had respect unto the antitype, and fubftance; much more fhall that antitype and substance itself, be fuch. But that antitype and fubftance is Jefus Chrift; for it has been already proved that he was a perfect facrifice. Therefore the facrifice of our Lord Jefus Chrift was propitiatory. All this is further confirmed by the phrafeology of the new teftament, when the great meffenger of the covenant was to be manifefted to the world, and all the prophecies concerning him were now to be accomplished; his harbinger was fent to prepare his way before him, and' bear teftimony of him to the people. When Noah had built an altar and offered burnt offerings after the flood, it is faid, the Lord fmelled a fweet 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 pleafed. I acquefce, I reft fatisfied-The blood of flain beasts could not delight the foul of God; but the facrifice of his fon, as it made a full atonement for fin, was fatisfactory. The 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

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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 minifters the word of reconciliation, to wit, that "God was in Chrift reconciling the world

unto himself." 2 Cor. v. 18. "For God fo "loved the world, that he fent his fon the pro"pitiation for our fins." 1 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 desire.

We

come 3dly to fhew, that Chrift's fufferings, were vicarious, and that as a furety he ftood engaged to difcharge the debt, of fin his people stood chargeable with; and that what he fuffered, was in the room, or ftead of others. That he was a fubftitute, and fuffered instead of finners, will lofe the aspect of injuftice with which fome are bold enough to charge the divine procedure; when the fcriptural account of things is attended to; which every where fets forth Jefus Chrift as taking his people's fin upon himself, and therefore in his own body bearing the punishment due to fin. Sometimes Chrift is reprefented as bearing fins in types, and fhadows, in the ceremonial law; and indeed moft of the facrifices offered refpected him in this view. The finner behoved when caft. ing his corn into the fire, which otherwife God had

given him for food, to confefs that his defert by reafon of fin, was thus to be caft 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 fhadow to the substance. The special inftance of the fcape-goat, Levit. xvi. may ferve as an illuftration of this truth. Aaron the priest muft take two goats, and prefent 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 fcape-goat; and the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, muft 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 moft formidable aspect of the most spotless purity, and inflexible juftice. Afterwards the live-goat must be prefented before the Lord, and Aaron the highprieft, (the figure of the great high-priest of our profeffion,) muft lay both his hands upon the head of the live-goat; (both hands) by way of acknowledgment," Lord we thy people and the "fheep 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 tranf

greffions in all their fins, 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

curiofity in converting to matter of fpeculation what fhould be matter of fith and adoration. Which of all the wounded Ifraelites when ftung by the fiery ferpents, was able to affign any other cause of the miraculous cure, but a divine appoint ment; and why was this amazing means of cureoon prefcribed, but to lead them by faith to look to Jefus. Moreover, the goat was to be fent away by the hand of a fit man, into the wilderness; and what was all this, but that the people while they beheld it, might be led to conceive that thus their fins they had now confeiled fhould be buried in oblivion," and if fought for fhould no where be "found." Therefore it is added, " and the goat "fhall bear upon him, all their iniquities;" fi guring out hereby, how the Lord Jefus fhould bear the fins of his people, by a transfer, or imputation thereof to himself. This fcape-goat therefore, fignified to the people, that the Lord in much mercy, would lay help on one mighty, and agreeable to his unparallelled love, and unerring wisdom, would contrive a way to punish fin, yet fave the finner, "to be juft, and yet juftify 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 bruifed for our iniquities; the chaftifement of our peace was upon him. ver. 6. All we like fheep have gone aftray, 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

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