both these were found in the person of our bleffed Savi our. 1. Unfpotted innocency and perfect obedience. This the fcripture teftifies concerning him, and the whole courfe of his life and actions: He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without fin, faith the Apoftle to the Hebrews, chap. iv. 15. He always did the things which pleafed God, as he teftifies concerning himself, John viii. 29; and we are fure that his witness is true. He did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth, as St. Peter tells us of him, I Pet. ii. 22. And this was neceffary to qualify him for the perfect expiation of fin, whether we confider him as a priest, or as a facrifice. As a priest, he could not have been fit to make expiation for the fins of others, had he not been without fin himfelf. And this the Apostle tells us, is one great advantage of our High Pricft under the gofpel, above the High Pricft under the law, who, being a finner himself, as well as thofe for whom he offered, had need to offer for himself, before he could make fo much as a legal expiation for the fins of others. But a perfect and effectual expiation of fin, fo as to purge the confcience from the guilt of it, cannot be made but by an High Priest who is holy and innocent himself: For fuch an high priest (faith the Apostle, Heb. vii. 26. 27.) became us, (that is, now under the difpenfation of the gospel, when a perfect expiation of fins is to be made, fuch an high priest is neceffary), who is holy, harmless, undefiled, feparate from finners; who needeth not, as thofe high priests, (that is, as the High Priests under the law), to offer up facrifice, firft for his own fins, and then for the people's. The plain force of which argument is this, that he who will be qualified to make atonement for the fins of others, must be without fin himself. And then, if we confider Christ as a facrifice for fin, perfect holiness is neceffary to make a facrifice acceptable and available for the expiation of fin. The neceffity of this was typified by the quality of the expiatory facrifices under the law. The beasts that were to be offered, were to be without Spot and blemish. To which the Apostle alludes, fpeaking of the quality and efficacy of the facrifice of Chrift, Heb. ix. 14. How much more (fays he) fhall the blood blood of Chrift, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without fpot to God, purge your confciences from dead works to ferve the living God? And to the fame purpofe St. Peter, 1 epift. i. 18. 19. Forafmuch as ye know ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as filver and gold; but with the precious blood of Chrift, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, &c.; hereby intimating, that nothing less than the perfect innocency and holiness of him who was to be a facrifice for us, could have expiated the guilt of our fins, and purchased eternal redemption for us. 2. Great fufferings likewife in our nature, even to the fuffering of death, were requifite to the perfect expiation of fin: I fay, even to the fuffering of death; for the facrifices which were to make expiation, were to be slain. And it was a conftant maxim and principle among the Jews, and the Apostle more than once in this epiftle feems to allow and confirm it, That without shedding of blood there is no remiffion of fins. Not that God could not have pardoned fin without fatisfaction made to his juftice, either by the fuffering of the finner himself, or of a facrifice in his ftead: but, according to the method and difpenfation which the wifdom of God had pitched upon, he was refolved not to difpenfe forgiveness in any other way. For which reafon he seems either to have poffeffed mankind with this principle, or to have permitted them to be fo perfuaded, That fin was not to be expiated but by blood; that is, either by the death of the finner, or of the facrifice. Now, the life of our bleffed Saviour, as well as his death, was made up of fufferings of one kind or other; continual fufferings from his cradle to his crofs, from the time he drew his firft breath to his giving up the ghoft: and not only continual fufferings, but the greateft that ever were; confidering the dignity of the perfon that fuffered, and the nature of the fufferings; confidering likewife that these sufferings were not only wholly undeferved on his part, but unmerited alfo on ours, for whofe fake he fubmitted himself to them: nay, on the contrary, he had obliged to the utmost thofe for whom and by whom he fuffered, and continued still to oblige them, by the greatest bleffings and benefits purchased and and procured for them by those very fufferings which with fo much malice and cruelty they inflicted on him. Had our bleffed Saviour been a mere man, the perfect innocency and unfpotted purity of his whole life; his zeal to do the will of God, and his delight in doing it; his infinite pains and unwearied diligence in going about doing good; his conftant obedience to God in the moft difficult inftances; and his perfeverance in welldoing, notwithstanding the ill ufage and hard measure, the bitter reproaches and perfecutions he met withal for it from a wicked and ill-natured world; his perfect fubmission to the will of God; his invincible patience under the greatest and bitterest sufferings, and his infinite charity to his enemies and perfecutors: these must needs be highly acceptable to God, and, if man could merit of God, likely enough to be available for the fins of others. ་ But our Saviour and our facrifice being the Son of God in our nature; and he voluntarily affuming it, and fubmitting to the condition of humanity in its lowest and moft miferable ftate, fin only excepted; and his being contented to live a life of doing good and fuffering evil, and at last to be put to death, and flain a facrifice for us: the dignity of the perfon who did and fuffered all this for us, and his dearness to God, must needs add a mighty value to fo perfect an obedience, and fuch patient fufferings, fo as to render them a full, perfect, and fufficient facrifice, oblation and fatisfaction for the fins of the whole world. And all this being willingly performed in our nature, and accepted by God as done upon our account, may reasonably be prefumed to redound to our benefit and advantage, as much as if we ourselves had performed it in our own perfons; nothing being fo proper and fo available to make an honourable amends and fatisfaction to the justice of God for the fins of all mankind, as the voluntary obedience and fufferings of human nature in a perfon of fo great dignity, and dearness to God, as his eternal and entirely beloved Son. Now, that expiation of fin was made by the fufferings of Chrift in our ftead, I fhall endeavour to make good thefe three ways. 1. From plain teftimonies of holy fcripture, declaring this matter to us as clearly and fully as it is poffible for words to do it. 2. From the nature and intention of expiatory facri fices, both among the Jews and Heathens; to which the death of Christ is in the New Teftament fo frequently compared, and, in point of virtue and efficacy to take away fin, infinitely preferred to it. 3. By vindicating this method and dispensation of the divine wisdom from the objections which are brought against it; and by fhewing, that there is nothing in it that is unreasonable, or any ways unworthy of God. I. I fhall produce some plain testimonies of holy fcripture, which declare this matter as clearly and fully as it is poffible for words to do it, namely, that the Son of God, in order to the effectual expiation of fin, fuffered in our stead, and bore the wrath of God for us, and made a perfect atonement for fin, and obtained eternal redemption for us. This the fcripture declares to us in great variety of expreffions; as, that Chrift died for us, and for our fins: that he was a facrifice for us, and a propitiation for the fins of the whole world; that is, of all mankind: that he bare our fins in his own body on the tree, and appeared to take away fin by the facrifice of himself: that we are juftified by his blood, and redeemed by the price of it. And in very many other expreffions to the fame purpose. And this is fo evidently the fcope and meaning of thefe expreffions, that it cannot be denied, without offering the greatest violence imaginable to the holy fcriptures. For can any man think that God would have used fo many expreffions in fcripture, the plain and moft obvious fenfe of all which is, that the Son of God fuffered for our fins and in our ftead, if this had not been his defign and meaning? Would not this be in effect to fay, that God had written a great book to puzzle and confound, but not to inftruct and teach mankind? I will at prefent fingle out fome few of thofe many texts of fcripture which might be produced to this purpose: 2 Cor. v. 21. He hath made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin; that is, he hath made him, who had no fin himself, a facrifice for our fins. Again, Eph. v. 2. And walk in love, as Chrift alfo hath loved us, and hath given himself himself for us, an offering and a facrifice to God. St. Peter to the fame purpofe tells us, that Chrift also hath once fuffered for fins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, 1 Pet. iii. 18. Here Chrift is faid to have fuffered for fin: and to declare, that the Apoftle did not only mean that Chrift fuffered upon the occafion of our fins, but that he suffered in the place and stead of the finner, he adds, the just for the unjuft; that is, the Son of God, who was innocent and had no fin, fuffered for us who were finners; or, as it is elsewhere expreffed, he bare our fins in his own body on the tree. It is true indeed, that Chrift fuffered for our benefit and advantage; which the Socinians would have to be all that is meant in the texts which I have cited: but then it ought to be confidered, that Christ's suffering for our benefit and advantage does by no means exclude, nor is any ways inconfiftent with his fuffering in our ftead. For whoever suffers in another man's ftead, and to fave him from fuffering, does undoubtedly fuffer for his benefit and advantage, and gives the beft demonftra tion of it that can be. But the manner of the expression, if compared with other parallel texts of fcripture, and efpecially with what is fo often faid of our Saviour's being a facrifice, which I fhall have occafion further to urge by and by; I fay, the manner of the expreffion, if well confidered, will appear to any man that is not contentious, to fignify our Saviour's fuffering inftead of the finner. But, not to argue from words and phrafes, I will produce two texts which declare this matter fo plainly, that the force of them is not to be avoided, without the most fhameful wrefting and perverting of them. John xv. 12. This is my commandment, (fays our Saviour), That ye love one another, as I have loved you. How is that? he declarcs in the next words, y 13. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend; that is, that he be contented to die in his stead. And to the fame purpose St. Paul, Rom. v. 6. For when we were yet finners, in due time Chrift died for the ungodly. Now, the queflion is, Whether, by this expreffion of Chrift's dying for the ungodly, be meant only his dying for |