purpose, gave public teftimony to all, and in e very place, of the certain fulfillment of the things fpoken concerning him by the prophets.

No fooner had the apoftles received the promise of the father, which they had been taught to wait for in Jerufalem, but under the extraordinary influence of the fpirit, they began to teach and preach Chrift, both to jew and gentile, testifying both to fmall and great, that he was the Meffiah, the only and all-fufficient Saviour of poor finners. Repent and be baptized in the name of Jefus "Chrift." Acts ii. 37, for " to him give all "the prophets witnefs, that whofoever believeth "on him fhall receive remiffion of fins.

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Acts

x. 43. Wonderous grace! Surprizing mercy!

But how can this comport with juftice? The most exactly, intimates the fame apoftle, for "Chrift "hath once fuffered for fins, the juft for the un

juft, that he might bring us to God," 1 Pet. iii. 18. And the fins we ftood chargeable with, and obnoxious for, have been placed to his account, and " he hath born them," as our substitute," in his own body on the tree," chap.

ii. 24.

tr

When Saul was brought under the teachings of the fame fpirit, and began to fit at the feet of Jefus, as he formerly had done at Gamaliel's, he also be gan to publish the fame things concerning Chrift, proving and alledging from the writings of the prophets and the law of Mofes, "that Chrift must needs have fuffered, and rifen again from the dead and that this Jefus whom I preach is Christ. Acts xvii. 2. 3, giving all the aurances of falvation to finners through faith in his name, " be it known, fays he, men and brethren, that through this

66

man is preached unto you the forgiveness of fins." ch. xiii. 38, he hath delivered us from the curse of the law, being made a curfe for us, * Gal. iii. 13, "all that believe in him, are juftified from all things, "from which they could not be justified by the "law of Mofes." Acts xiii. 38, 39. Astonishing grace this, but how can it confift with a righteous and a holy law? Moft admirably, for "God "hath made him to be fin § for us, who knew

66 no

* Eam execrationem fufcepit cui obnoxius non erat, cum fufpenfus fuit in ligno, ut execrationem folveret quæ adverfum nos erat. i. e. He bore the curfe when hanging on the tree, that he in no wife deserved, that he might free us from the curfe we were obnoxious to. Oecumenius.

§ Some would have the greek word (hamartia) here rendered fin, to be rendered fin-offering, although it is obferveable it is neceffarily rendered in the former fenfe wherefoever it occurs throughout the whole new teftament, in the latter fenfe, not once: nor is there any juft caufe why it fhould be rendered fin-offering here, unless it be in order to destroy the antithefis in the former and latter clause of the verfe, and hereby fubvert the doctrine of imputed fin, and imputed righteousness fo clearly established by the Holy Ghoft.Beza has the following note upon the paffage, which I beg leave to infert, etfi vero peccatum interdum vocatur victima ex hebraeorum idiotifmo, apud quos fic accipitur nomen (afham) ut Levit. vii. 2, tamen ratio antithefis pofcit ut potius Chriftus dicatur factus effe peccatum pro nobis i. e. Peccator, non in ipfe, fed ex omnium noftrorum peccatorum reatu ipfi imputato. Penetus, by folTy and extravagancy has reduced himself to extreme poverty; nor is this the worst, he has alfo contracted large debts which he is utterly unable to discharge. His creditor it seems has had much patience with him, but through ill-treatment is become fevere, and now with unmitigated rigour demands full payment to be made. Penetus is quite infolvent, nor is there ground for hope, that he fhould ever be

other

σε

no fin," 2 Cor. v. 21, we by fin and difobedience had forfeited the divine favour and ruined our fouls, but "Chrift Jefus came into the world "to fave finners, which is a faithful faying, and "worthy of all acceptation," 1 Tim. i. 15, and this he effects "by the facrifice of himself," Heb. ix. 28, " being once offered up to bear the fins " of many, ver. 28.

Thus what the prophets had foretold concerning Chrift, his death and the design thereof, &c. the apoftles fhew were fulfilled. in him, and by him. And this preaching Chrift crucified for fins, and the finner's furety, and substitute, is what bleffed Paul feems to have gloried in above all things, and to have efteemed as the very marrow, foul, and fubftance of his gospel; and that wherein his embaffy principally confifted; God forbid, fays he, that I should glory, fave in the cross of our Lord Jefus Christ, Gal. vi. 14. and to the Corinthians, I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our fins according to the fcriptures, 1 Cor. xv. 3. Not to fummon any other of the infpired penmen to the bar, who becaufe they were taught by the fame! fpirit, it is impoffible they fhould bear an evidence: contrary to thofe already heard; we may ventures to reft the cause on their most clear, and amples

teftisf

TAS 9%

21

otherwife; what can be done for him? Ploufianus abun. dant in wealth, yet more fo in generofity and goodness engages for the debt, gives fecurity for the payment of it, and acquits the before diftreffed, but now joyful and transport... ed Penetus. Now although Ploufianus never contracted the debt he stands engaged for by extravagant living, yet he hath made himfelf debtor-by (what I had almost called) extravagant loving. The application is cafy.

1

teftimony; feeing nothing lefs than a grofs perverfion of what the prophets and apostles have wrote, and a bold effay to fubvert their meaning, can turn the current of the doctrine of imputation into another channel, or extort a verdict in favour of a contrary tenet.

8th, This then is gospel indeed, though we have finned, are guilty, doubly guilty, before a holy fin punishing God, being finners by nature, and finners in practice; yet is there a foundation for hope of mercy in perfect confiftency with juftice; heaven's golden-gates are not for ever barred, nor is our fun gone down in everlasting night; for there is, hear it O heavens, be all attention, O earth, there is a SAVIOUR, an almighty SAVIOUR, rich in love, and plenteous in grace, who cafts out none that come unto him, John vi. 37. great in power, faving to the uttermost all that come unto God by him, Heb. vii. 25. He is the great atonement, the (copber) the true mercy-feat, the one propitiatory facrifice by which, God is reconciled unto the world, 2 Cor. v. 19. This my dear reader is the great myftery of falvation, this is the fecret of God, which the princes of this world were ignorant of, when moft bent to fulfil it, in crucifying the Lord of glory. By that one offence, of that one man Adam, many are fubjected to death; by the one obedience, viz. the life and death, of that one man Christ Jefus, many are abfolved, and entitled to life. All finned, one fuffered, man was debtor, man discharged his debt. * Sin and death

E

*Homo qui debuit, homo folvit; nam fi unus inquit,

pro

death came by the fruit of the tree; redeniption and life come by the tree alfo; the former was planted in paradife, and was deadly to touch; the latter was erected on mount calvary, and bare bleffings in large clusters. The fin of Adam, excluded him and his feed from the prefence of God, the foul-comforting prefence of their maker, and cherubim and a flaming fword, forbad future acceis to the tree of life. But Chrift the lamb of God, has borne our fins in his own body on the tree, turned away the wrath of heaven, quenched the flaming fword, and by his own blood bath confecrated a new and living way into the holy of holies. Heb. x. 19, 20, and hath opened also the kingdom of heaven to all who believe in him.

What discovereft thou O reader in this procedure, that merits thy difregard or contempt? Wherein does the doctrine of Chrift's atonement appear to be abfurd, or irrational? Why should the great lord and legiflator of the world be esteemed deficient in justice, because he has been pleased in a way fo wonderful to magnify his abounding mercy in appointing and accepting the fufferings of one every way qualified and fully willing, in behalf of another, by which wonderful plan, his juftice is preferved inviolate, full reparation is made to his injured law, and his rich grace and mercy are hereby become the wonder and joy of men and angels? The work of falva

tion

pro omnibus mortuus eft, ergo omnes mortui funt, ut videlicet fatisfactio unius omnibus imputetur; ficut omnium peccata unus ille portavit, nec alter jam inveniatur qui forefacit, alter qui fatisfecit; quia caput et corpus unus est Chriftus. Bernardus Epift. ad Innocent.