"

as a mistaken representation of them' and he fays exprefly," it is neither a just nor a full representation of the fact. Sacri"fices were always accompanied with prayers or thanksgivings, and therefore were not external rites by which prayer or thanks were intended to be fignified,' or the defires of the people were intended to be expreffed "."And yet we find the Author, about eleven or twelve pages below, adopting and defending this very notion of the meaning and use of facrifices which he here rejects, and confutes as a mistaken and unjust representation of them: for he fays exprefly, that facrifices were "the external vifible mode by which the "internal acts of the mind were expreffed; "-external vifible figns of folemn prayer " and a purified heart;-vifible external "expreffions of repentance, and renoun"cing whatever was inconfiftent with that

temper of mind that is neceffary to a “state of friendship with God"; that is, external

1 Page 298.

P 2

m

p. 300, 301.

"Sacrifice was the external vifible mode by "which the internal acts of the mind were expreffed. "Hence that (viz. making atonement) was imputed "to facrifice which was owing to what facrifice fig"nified." page 312. And a little below, "No "wonder then that that was imputed commonly to "the blood of the victim which was the real effect "of folemn prayer, and a purified heart, fince the 6.6 one

external figns, or fymbols, of repentance, prayer, and a purified heart.-Here, therefore, the Author contradicts himself, by adopting and defending a notion of the meaning and ufe of facrifices, which he himself cenfures and condemns as a mistaken and unjust representation of them. And into this felf-contradiction he was driven by the impoffibility of accounting, by his real idea of the ufe and design of facrifice, for an effect which is, every where, in the levitical-law, afcribed to piacular facrifices, viz. the making atonement for fin. -The cafe was this: atonement for fin fignifies, with our Author, the means by which the pardon of fin is obtained. Now atonement for fin being commonly mentioned in the law of Mofes as the effect of piacular facrifices; and the Author thinking it abfurd to affirm, that atonement was made for fin, or the pardon of it obtained,. by facrifice in his fenfe of facrifice, that is,. by the dapes of a table, or by God and the

owners

one was the external and vifible fign of the other." p. 313. And a little farther below, "the fhedding

of blood was the ufual and general, the ordinary "and common means of atonement, or of expreff❝ing a right mind." p. 316. Agreeably to all which he fays, "Sacrifices were the vifible external expref"fions-of repentance, and of renouncing whatever "is inconfiftent with that temper of mind that was 66 neceffary to a ftate of friendship with God." p. 350. Page 306.

owners eating and drinking together, as a fymbol of friendship, or foederal rite; he begins, like a man in diftrefs, to look about him for relief; and finding, that his own fixed and fettled idea of the ufe and defign of facrifices could yield none, he deferts it as a thing that could do nothing for him, and adopts another, which, though he had, before hand, rejected and confuted, yet was better adapted to his prefent purpose, and calculated to remove the otherwife infuperable difficulty out of his way. Accordingly, he tells us, "that pardon was never "obtained by facrifice alone, but as it was "attended with a right difpofition of mind; "that pardon may be, and has been, ob"tained by fuch a difpofition of mind, cr without the concurrence of a facrifice; "and that facrifices, confidered as modes "of engaging in friendship, could, of "themselves, contribute nothing towards "the making atonement for fin, or the ob

ta ining of the pardon of it "." And then, to preserve some appearance of harmony between this language and that of the fcriptures, which speaks of atonement for fin as being the effect of piacular facrifices, he is led to affirm, "that facrifices were the ex"ternal and visible mode by which the in"ternal acts of the mind were expreffed; P 3

P Page 306, 307.

the

"the external and vifible figns of folemn ἐσ prayer and a purified heart; and the vi

fible external expreffions of repentance, "and of renouncing whatever was incon"fiftent with that temper of mind that is

neceffary to a state of friendship with "God;" which is that very notion of the meaning, ufe, and design of facrifice, which he himself had, before, cenfured and confuted, as a mistaken and unjust representation of them.

One would have thought, that the perception of the impoffibility of accounting, upon his scheme, for atonement for fin, as an effect of facrifice, would have led the Author to refign it as indefenfible; and to have looked out for fome other notion of the meaning and defign of facrifice, which would have fairly and fatisfactorily accounted for it, as fuch. But, inftead of this, he adheres tenacioufly to his favourite syftem; and, in order to extricate himself from an infuperable difficulty, which did attend it, runs into plain and palpable selfcontradiction. This is a glaring inftance of the ill effect which bigotry in opinion, and unreasonable attachment to any favourite hypothefis, which has been adopted without due examination, have upon the minds of men, even of good fenfe and great learning. Human frailty!-But what I would chiefly remark here, is, that this fpecimen of our

Author's

Author's inability to account for atonement, as an effect of facrifice, without deferting his own notion of the use and defign of sacrifice, and having recourfe to another which he had difclaimed and confuted, gives us room and ground to fufpect, that his notion of the use and defign of facrifice may neither be true nor fcriptural.

I now proceed to the confideration of what appears to me to have been the Author's fixed and fettled notion of the meaning, use, and defign of facrifices.

'

He tells us, "that facrifices were fœderal "rites, and implied men's entering into friendship with God; or if they had vio"lated friendship with God, by violating "the ftipulation entered into, then facri"fices implied a renewal of friendship"with him." And agreeably to this, he fays, "that facrifice was intended as a mode "of engaging in friendship"."

If we want to know in what respect, or fenfe, the Author confidered facrifices as being fœderal rites, and a mode of engaging in friendship, he explains himself on this head, by telling us, that facrifices were fymbols, external figns, and expreffions of friendship..

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• Page 59.

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I p. 306.

But

"Sacrifices were the vifible external expreffions of friendship with God." p. 350. "Sacrifices

were