λoupov, or an expiation, because by it God declared his benevolence towards his people; are we thence to infer that it was of the same nature with the expiation made by Christ. The making of expiation, is attributed to Christ not so much passively, as actively, and in the strictest sense of the word. What was only typically and symbolically shadowed forth in the mercy seat, and by the sprinkling of the blood of victims, Christ hath truly and properly effected by the shedding of his blood, by which he made a real atonement for sin. Again, though the application and fruit of this atonement, is imparted to us through the medium of his continual intercession for us in heaven, yet we may not hence infer that he has made it in heaven only. The passage in Heb. ii. 17, does not relate to this; for it is not there said that he makes reconciliation for the sins of the people in heaven, but only that he must be made like unto his brethren in all things, that he may be a faithful high priest, in things pertaining to God, and in this character make reconciliation, which he had done by his death, and suffering; all which is intimated in the following verse.

The doctrine of the atonement is also confirmed by the nature and circumstances of Christ's sufferings, as well as by the kind of death which he suffered; in all which we have every thing requisite to a full and perfect satisfaction.. Let us consider the essence, and kind of the punishment. The death which he endured, was not a common death; it was not an ordinary, but a violent, a most bitter death, inflicted in the manner of a punishment—a death inflicted by a sword which the justice of God commanded to be drawn against him; "awake, O sword against the man that is my fellow; smite the shepherd,"--a death in which he endured the greatest possible ignominy, and in which the most acute pains tortured his most holy body. Was this all? No. His soul was seized with the most appaling terrors, and deepest sorrows, with such fear and poignant woes, that an angel was sent to minister comfort to him. Sweat flowed from every pore of his body like great drops of blood, and "he offered up prayers and supplications, with strong cry

ing and tears to him who was able to save him.”* With voice of deepest sadness, he complained that he was forsaken by God the Father, though not by a dissolution of the union, nor by withdrawing a participation of holiness, nor by withholding his supporting power, yet by withholding from him the beatific vision, by suspending the joyful fruition of full felicity. How shall we find an adequate cause for all these sufferings in a perfectly holy person, unless by admitting that avenging justice demanded from Christ a full atonement for our sins? In order to evade the doctrine of the atonement, shall we say that Christ was of more feeble mind, and possessed less heroic firmness, than innumerable martyrs, who have suffered the same most painful death of the cross, nay if possible in excruciating torments more intolerable, and all with unshaken fortitude, with the greatest alacrity, and without any indications of grief or terror? Such blasphemy shocks the ears of the Christian. Though the time of Christ's sufferings was but finite in duration, yet in consequence of the dignity of the sufferer, it was equal in value to infinite duration of torment. The law indeed demands that the person who sins shall suffer, but the gospel, through the fatherly kindness of God, declares it meet that there shall be a substitution--that it suffices to punish sin, and let the sinner go free.

By the atonement we have an astonishing display of the divine mercy, which is so great that God spared not his own Son, that he might spare us. The atonement asserts the claims of justice, which, that it might remain unimpeachable, demanded even the blood of the Son of God. The atonement gloriously exhibits the divine wisdom, which found out an admirable plan, of reconciling mercy with justice, and untied a knot which otherwise could never have been loosed, a plan, by which the conscience of the traitor-man, alarmed with a penetrating sense of sin, judgment, and malediction, is rendered peaceful and serene. Take away the atonement, and what becomes of the truth of God, which so uniformly

* Heb. v. 7.

denounces death, and a curse against sinners? What becomes of justice, which not only acquits the guilty, and convicted criminal without inflicting upon him the deserved punishment, but also bestows on him rewards the most honourable? Besides, by denying the atonement, the following absurdities are unavoidable. 1. That our redemption may be attributed no less to the death of the apostles and martyrs, than to the death of Christ; since by their death, and sufferings, they have given strong testimony in favour of the doctrines of the Gospel, and have set before us in their lives illustrious examples of patience and obedience. 2. That Christ saved us rather by his life and miracles, than by his death, since the promulgation of doctrines, and the example of his life were much more. plain exhibitions of truth than his death affords. 3. The priestly office is altogether taken away from this world and confounded with his prophetical, and kingly office. 4. The saints under the old testament were not saved by Christ; because they had not the benefit of his example, nor did they hear him preaching doctrines. We shall now proceed to remove the difficulties which are started.

Though the word satisfaction is not expressly used in the scriptures, yet, what is quite sufficient, there are words used in the scriptures which are altogether equivalent to it, and which either have no meaning, or they mean that real satisfaction for which we contend. Such are the words awonutęwoic which signifies the redemption of a captive, by making a payment—avriλurgov, a price of redemptions, a propitiation, a price of punishment-xarapa, a curseFuata, a sacrifice-goroge an offering, and many others of the same import which we have mentioned above.

As Christ sustains a two-fold relation to believers, one in the character of their surety bound to satisfy justice in their behalf, the other in the character of their head and Lord operating in them, by the animating and directing influence of his Spirit; so he had a two-fold end in his death and sufferings; one the payment of a price of redemption for us to justice, the other to set before us an example worthy

of imitation. Hence his sufferings may be viewed either as satisfactory or as exemplary. Though the sufferings of Christ are proposed to us as an example, and his death, as that which we should imitate by dying for our brethren, at his command;t yet we are not hence to infer that by his death he made no real satisfaction, for the mentioning of the one end does not exclude, but supposes the other.

There is a wide difference, between a payment made by a debtor in his own person, and a payment made by a surety. As to the reality of payment there is no difference in the eye of the law, but in relation to grace there is a striking difference. When a debtor pays out of his own purse his debts, it cannot be said that the creditor has forgiven him the debt or shown him favour; but if the debt has been paid by another and that other has been found out by the creditor, then grace may be said to have been shewn. Satisfaction, and remission are inconsistent with each other, when referred to the same thing, but not so when they are referred to different things. Satisfaction has God for its object, remission man for its object. Satisfaction is made by Christ to God for man, and yet man is freely pardoned. Justice and mercy reciprocate. Justice is exercised against sin as imputed to Christ, and mercy, free and sovereign mercy is shewn to sinners. The pardon granted to us is entirely of grace, while full satisfaction is demanded of the surety. Nothing is demanded of us, full payment having been made by Christ.

If Christ makes satisfaction, we cannot say that he satisfies himself, in the same character in which he makes the satisfaction;-he satisfies himself as God, and as the son of God, not as Christ. Thus it is not precisely the same character, nor in the same relation that he gives, and receives the satisfaction. Christ gives it as God-man, as mediator, and receives it as God the judge. Though it is not absurd to suppose that the same person should make satisfaction to himself, when the subject treated of is not a private satis

faction, by which a private loss is compensated, or money that is due paid, for so indeed the person would take of his own, and with it pay himself. But when we speak of a public satisfaction, by which a public injury is repaired, it is not absurd to say that a judge who has violated the law, may make satisfaction to himself as judge by suffering either in his own person, or in the person of another, that punishment which the law denounces; and thus it is in the work of redemption.

Christ did not suffer eternal death as to duration, but a death of three days only, and yet he fully paid the debt of everlasting punishment, which we owed. His which was one of finite duration, was equivalent to an everlasting death suffered by us, because of the infinite dignity of his person. His were not the sufferings of a mere man, but as to their value, those of the true God, who purchased the church with his blood.* Hence what was deficient in duration is supplied by the divinity of the sufferer, which gave infinite importance to a passion finite in duration. Yet we may not hence infer, that as the person suffering was infinite, one drop of his blood was sufficient for our redemption. The smallest passion of Christ might have infinite value considered merely in relation to the infinite exaltation of him who suffered; yet death only could possess infinite value, in respect of the judge by whose sentence it was inflicted. The dignity of the person increases the dignity of the punishment endured-the more exalted the person is, so much the more exalted is the suffering which he undergoes; yet nothing but that species of punishment which the law denounces can satisfy its claims upon the guilty. Death and death alone could fulfil the demands of law and justice.

It was not necessary, when Christ was suffering the punishment due to sin, that he should suffer that desperation, and gnashing of teeth, which are a part of the punishment of the damned; as these are not essential to the punishment which God inflicts upon the victims of eternal tor

* Acts xx. 28.