was neceffary; for, as we have formerly feen, he could not otherwife have been free from original depravity. But it was the will of God, that he should be born, not merely of a virgin, but of " à "virgin efpoufed." In this, divine wifdom eminently appears., For thus God provided means for authenticating the genealogy of Chrift. Being born, after Mary was betrothed, he was legally the child of Jofeph; and among the Jews, the genealogy was efpecially reckoned by the father. Thus alfo, a guardian was provided for Mary and her child, during the perfecution of Herod. Befides, the circumftance of her being efpoufed, together with that of Jofeph's taking her to his house, preferved her from being treated by others as a woman loft to virtue. While, on the one hand, her efpoufals fubjected her conduct to the moft rigid fcrutiny, the reception given her by Jofeph, on the other, was a public atteftation of her innocence.

We perceive the bleffed concurrence of all the Perfons of the adorable Trinity in the work of our redemption. It appears with the fulleft evidence in the very manner in which Chrift received our nature. The Father" fent forth his Son, made "of a woman." The Son himfelf" took on him "the form of a fervant." The Holy Ghoft " prepared a body" for him, by fanctifying part of the fubftance of a virgin. What, a wonderful difplay of love to loft man! How ardently ought

we to love that adorable Father who fent his Son;

this

this co-equal Son, who cheerfully came, who faid, "In the volume of thy book it is written of me;" that bleffed Spirit, who as it were anew began the work of creation for our fakes!

SECTION XIII.

On Subftitution and Atonement.-The Doctrine of Subftitution known to the Church from the beginning.-Impofition of Hands on the Head of the Victim.-The Victim legally fubjected to the Curfe. Atonement made by Blood.-The Covenant confirmed by Sacrifice.-In this the Worship of the Church especially confifted.-The Ceremonial Inftitute, even by its Defects, directed to a better Atonement.—This prefigured by the Mercy-feat.-The Hiftory of the true Expiation contained in the New Teftament.

To proclaim the incarnation of a Divine Perfon, is only part of the defign of the Spirit of infpiration. It was a principal branch of his work,. to" teftify beforehand the fufferings of Chrift." All that is written, with respect to his affumption of our nature, relates to the work of redemption, which from eternity he had engaged to accomplifh. The Holy Scriptures, as to their

great de

fign

fign and principal object, are just an history of "the Lamb flain from the foundation of the "world 9."

Before the coming of Chrift to "take away fin

by the facrifice of himself;" there were especially three different ways in which atonement was made; by the punishment of the guilty perfon, by the payment of a price, or by the fubftitu tion of the innocent for the guilty.

We fometimes read of atonement being made, when the guilty were punished in their own perfons. Thus, when Phineas flew the daring tranfgreffors, who were committing fornication in the camp, it is faid that he "made an atonement for "the children of Ifrael." But it is to be observed, that the atonement in this inftance was not made for the fin of the perfons immediately concerned. For they perished in their iniquity. It was accepted of God for the congregation in general, for averting that wrath-to which they were fubjected by this iniquity. For the juft God, as Governor of the world, demands from collective bodies the punishment of open tranfgreffors; and if this be refused, he confiders the fociety at large as chargeable with the guilt. So well pleased was he with the zeal of Phineas in executing judgment onthis occafion, that the plague, which had gone forth against Ifrael, becaufe of their tranfgreffion in the matter of Peor, was immediately itayed $. It was counted unto Phineas "for righteoufnefs "in all generations for evermore ;" and his family

Rev. xiii. 8,

r Num. xxv. 6, 7, 13. s Ver. 8,

t Pfal. cvi. 31.

mily was confirmed in the poffeffion of the priesthood. In like manner, God did not "turn from "the fiercenefs of his anger" againft his people, till the accurfed thing was deftroyed from a"mong them," in the punishment of Achan and his family".

Atonement was alfo made by the payment of a price. "The LORD fpake unto Mofes, faying, "When thou takeft the fum of the children of Ifrael, after their number, then fhall they give

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every man a ranfom for his foul unto the LORD "when thou numberet them; that there be no plague among them when thou numbereft "them." Half a fhekel, according to the fhekel of the fanctuary, which was the double of that commonly current, was to be given for every male who was twenty years old and above. This was called "the atonement-money of the chil"dren of Ifrael ;" and in paying this fum, they

gave an offering unto the LORD, to make an "atonement for their fouls." This payment prefigured our being "bought with a price w;" although "not with corruptible things, as filver " and gold, but with the precious blood of Chrift." The rich were not to give more, nor the poor lefs. For all fouls are alike precious in the fight of God; and although fome are greater finners than others, nothing lefs than an atonement of infinite value can be accepted for any one. This price was to be paid by each individual whofe age correfponded, every time the Ifraelites were number

u Joh. vii. 12. 26.

v Exod. xxx. II.-16. WI Cor. vi. 20.

ed,

ed, under the penalty of his lofing his life by an immediate ftroke of divine juftice. Thus God teftified, that when he makes inquifition, it is impoffible for the finner to ftand before him without

an atonement.

But the principal mode of making atonement, was by the substitution and punishment of the innocent instead of the guilty; or, to exprefs it in one word, by facrifice. This kind of expiation being the most common among the Ifraelites, and containing the moft ftriking figure of the true, it demands our particular attention.

1. The doctrine of fubftitution was well known to the Church from the earlieft period. As "A"bel offered by faith," while we know that his offering was" of the firftlings of his flock," we may fafely infer, that the worship of God by facrifice was of divine appointment. Now, every facrifice neceffarily implied the idea of fubftitution. We cannot fuppofe, that the true worshippers of God were fo ftupid as to imagine that the offering of brutes could in itself be acceptable to. him. They knew, that " if he were hungry, "he would not tell them, because the world is 'his, and all the fulness thereof; that he would "not eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats.' Did they offer by faith? Then they must have refpected not merely the divine inftitution, but its defign. That God, who required facrifice, would undoubtedly inform them, that, what they inflicted on the innocent victims, which when work they