Work were of the lowest Class, as well in Station, as Abilities; and who could only follow and carries our Thoughts to fomething farther than a Figure of Speech. It must likewife be confefs'd, that Chrift's mediatorial Office is compared to many other things under the Jewish Difpenfation, v.g. to the Mercy-feat, Oblation, and several forts of Sacrifice, &c. to which the Apoftles allude fometimes in their Description of it, as anfwering to, or exceeding fuch in many of its falutary Effects; but then it ought to be acknowledg'd also, that to this of Atonement Reference is had more frequently, in fetting forth the Ends of his Death, to which it therefore must be supposed to bear a nearer and more ftrict relation; God being pleas'd to order that it should be reprefented and regarded as fuch, nay, defcribed in the ftrongest facrifical Phrafes, fince it answer'd completely all the rational purpofes that fuch could ever ferve.' Fofter, Ufefulness, &c. p. 332, 334. And notwithstanding the Difference between this and any of these in some respects, as that the chief End of Christ's Suffering was unknown to the feveral Inftruments employ'd therein, but rather permitted to follow, as it were on course, from the perverfe Malice of the fews, and without any fuch Intention either in them, or in the Romans, as accompanied the formal offering up a Sacrifice; yet was all this abundantly fupply'd by Chrift himself, [V. Outram. L. 2. c. 3. p. 286. Ed. Amft. or Whitby on Job. 17. 19. and Heb. 2.11.] who was alone the Offerer, the Sacrificer, and the Sacrifice; [Heb.9. 14.] who by the loud Voice with which he utter'd his laft Words [Pool on Matt. 27.50.] and other Circumstances, (Matt. 26. 53. Joh. 18.6.) fhew'd that his Life was not violently taken from him, nor a Period put to it merely by the common course of things. [Hallet, Difc. V. 2. p. 285.] but voluntarily refign'd into his Father's Hand, as he had before fignified, Joh. io. 18. and his Death thereby, according to his own Request, accepted, and placed to a higher account than any other Sacrifice could be;-turn'd to an univerfal Benefit to all Mankind, and render'd of more Value in the fight of God than all their Performances of this kind put together. It is not then in allufion only to thefe legal Sacrifices that the Death of Chrift is thus defcribed; but rather they themfelves were appointed to allude to and adumbrate it. See Bp. Butler, Analogy, Part 2. c.2. f. 6. The Jews indeed had been him at first upon the lowest Views, and would at every turn be urging and impatient to have these been long used to the facrifical Language, and were well acquainted with the feveral Circumftances of that way of Worhip; 'tis alfo certain, as Abp. Tillotson obferves, [V. 1. p. 478. Fol.] that an Apprehenfion and Perfuafion had very early and univerfally obtain'd among Mankind, concerning the Expiation of Sin, and appeafing the offended Deity by Sacrifices: but I cannot think it equally clear that this great Difpenfation was [inftead of being in its own Nature every way fit, and independently a most wife and good measure,] framed in fuch a manner purely in condefcenfion and compliance with that pre-establish'd Notion; fince the fame Author in another place allows these to have been only Types and Shadows of the true expiatory Sacrifice.' [V. 2. p. 129.] And there seems to be no lefs Difficulty in accounting for the Eftablishment of this fame folemn Ufage among the Jews, and God Almighty's either poffeffing Mankind with this Principle, or permitting them to be fo perfuaded,' [ib. V. 1. p. 480.] if it was not in order to a better Covenant, an higher and more noble Inftitution fix'd in the Divine Decrees before the other took place in the World.[V.Confiderations,Not.c. p. 179.] There muft indeed be fome Ideas common to both thefe, or elfe one could be no kind of Introduction to the other; but to go backward in accommodating this to that, the latter to the former, the more perfect Inftitution to the lefs, feems not fo very natural a Suppofition; granting the first to be any Divine Institution at all, of which before. [Confiderations, p.45. Not.d. &c.] And to attempt a Solution by admitting both, viz. that this Inftitution may have been originally Divine [as the fame Author does, p. 478.] looking forward to the great Atonement, and leading Mankind to an Apprehenfion of it; at the fame time allowing that Atonement itself to have a retrospect to fuch Apprehenfion, and to be grounded thereon; feems to be making matters worse, by arguing merely in a Circle, and leaving the whole without any proper ground at all. Nor, laftly, is the Sacrifice of the Death of Christ to be refolv'd into a mere popular Phrafe, or metaphorical Expreffion, as when one Man is vulgarly faid to be facrificed to another's Pleasure, Intereft, or the like. Nor can thofe numerous Texts which are commonly produced on this occafion, and feem accomplished; nor were they to be let into his real Aim, but by flow Steps, and after a long Se seem all to denote something vicarious, be eafily explain'd in any other fenfe; tho' much indeed has been done this way lately by a very honeft and able Writer. I would then have all that Chrift did and suffer'd taken into the general Plan of our Redemption, but yet not so as to eclipfe and overlook that part of his Suffering which feems to be principally infifted on, to have a peculiar Province and extraordinary efficacy an nex'd to it in Scripture. I would not drop that View which fo many Paffages in their most obvious meaning point out to us, which naturally lead, and therefore were defign'd to lead us to fome diftinct Scheme (as was faid before) or different part of the Scheme;-different in certain refpects, tho' of the fame Kind or Quality as to Morals with the reft; the most fublime, myfterious Branch of our Redeemer's Office; nay, that alone which strictly and properly denominates it fuch: but ftill a Plan of moral Discipline and rational Government; in its own Nature exquifitely calculated to help and enable, to excite and encourage us to work out our Salvation; not as mechanically working it out for us, or arbitrarily transferring the Acts and Attainments of one Perfon to another, without any real ground of Refemblance, or Conformity between. them; tho' we are forry to find thefe and the like foreign, unfcriptural Notions often moft unhappily mix'd with the prefent Subject. The common Inftance brought to illuftrate this Point, of a King's Son confenting to endure fome of the Pain and Ig nominy due to Rebels, in order to reftore them, upon Submiffion, to the Favour of their Sovereign, and reinstate them in the Privileges of the Community: [Tillotson, V. 1. p. 4856.] may anfwer to fome part of it, provided that his Sufferings extend no farther than the King is able to make up to him, and reward him for; or even that of one School-boy's Performance being admitted to procure a Remiffion from Labour or Punishment for all the reft; [Taylor on Rom. 125.*] which tho' it may be thought a very low Comparifon, and at firft fight appears every way infinitely inadequate to the reality, yet as there ftated, ferves to convey many clear Ideas of the thing in general; and after all, may come as near perhaps to a juft Reprefentation of it, as our moft elevated Apprehenfions can arrive at in the prefent State of Ignorance and Imperfection; wherein we are forced in a great mea fure ries of gentle Difcipline. Such Perfons were in many respects most difficult to be dealt with, but no unfit Inftruments for that which they were then defigned for; namely, to teftify what they had fo often feen and heard; and on all accounts most proper to afford the best, most unexceptionable Evidence to Futurity: fuch as could by no means be fuppofed capable either to conceive a Scheme fo great as that of reforming a World; of altering all its Customs and Opinions; or entertain the leaft Hope of accomplishing it whenever fuggefted to them: fuch as wanted both Courage and Conduct to attempt this vaft, and truly original Design, with any Profpect of Succefs; fuch, fure yet to speak and think as Children, (and ought to be ever fenfible that we do fo) upon fuch a Subject; in which we are neither made acquainted with the whole of the Cafe, nor competent Judges of it if we were, nor actively concern'd to know it. See Bp. Butler, ib. p. 311, 312. 8vo. Though fo much may perhaps be communicated to us, as is fufficient to lay a Foundation for our future Blifs in contemplating the fame thing hereafter, under its various Relations and remote Connexions, when a more glorious and extensive View of it will open to us, and we be able both to comprehend it clearly, and fee the Propriety of thus much being laid be'fore us even in this Life, tho' not to be fully understood till the next. Thoughts on Educ. p. 41. Nor is there, probably, fo great a Difference between many of the means made ufe of in the Government, and training up of fuck Societies of little Men, (Taylor, ib. p.48.) and ourfelves, as we are apt to imagine. But ftill, however imperfectly this wonderful Work of Man's Redemption be explain'd or comprehended by us, yet as it is all along propofed to us under the Image of Atonement, or propitiatory Sacrifice, fomething of this kind muft, I humbly conceive, be included in our Confideration of it; we should seem obliged to retain fo much of the foremention'd Image as can fairly be adapted to it; fo much as is neceffary in fome refpect to entitle it both to the Name and Notion: which is all that I am here contending for. laftly, laftly, as he must suffer often to doubt, and difpute with him; to distrust, desert, and even deny him: To convince After-ages, that they were fuch as could not with the least Shew of Reason be fufpected of having at firft concerted all this of themselves, or carried it on afterwards among themselves, or effected what they did of it by any Methods merely human". With fuch as thefe did Chrift hold Conversation during the whole Courfe of his Miniftry, affectionately complying with their weakness, patiently enduring their perverfeness, in order to cure them both; to ftrengthen and increase their Faith by degrees, and free them from all fuperftitious Fears; to open their Eyes, and enlarge their Understandings fo far, that at length they might even of themselves judge what was right, and teach the fame to others. To these, and by them to the World, he fets a perfect Pattern of true Heroifm, viz. Humility and Refignation to the Will of God; of Meeknefs and the most extensive Benevolence to Man; demonftrating to what height Virtue may be carried under the moft difadvantageous Circumstances, and fhewing the practicableness of each part of our Duty in the greatest Difficulties. With the utmoft Zeal and Conftandoes he endeavour to diffuade and drive Men cy 8 Mirum eft quam parum acuti effent Apoftolorum nonnulli; fed datâ operâ tales a Chrifto electos fuiffe verifimile eft; ne dum putabant fe intelligere quis effet quidve moliretur, quidpiam ingenio fuo freti quod Evangelio noceret, aggrederentur; neve poffent Dogmatum, quæ nunciabantur, inventores haberi. Cleric. in Joh.14.7. How different is the Character of St. Paul! and with what propriety therefore was his call deferr'd, till different Qualities and Talents became of equal ufe to the propagation and defence of the Gospel! from |