beings, of exactly the fame nature with this man thus dying for them, not only from temporal, but alfo from eternal death, and fhould put

them in poffeffion of glory and felicity greater bcyond conception than that which they had forfeited, and lasting without end.

5. According to the Apoftle, one principal end of the death of Chrift was to demonftrate God's righteoufnefs that is, the purity of his nature, implying his infinite hatred to fin, the authority of his law, which denounces vengeance against the finner, and the equity of his government, or, in one word, his Juftice. Juftified freely (fays he, Rom. iii. 24, &c.) by his grace, through the redemption which is in Chrift Jefus, (viz. the blood he hath fhed, Eph. i. 7. the price he hath paid, 1 Cor. vi. 20.) 'whom God hath fet forth a propitiation, through faith in his blood, for a demonftration of his righteoufnefs, by (or on account of) the remiffion of past fins, through the forbearance of God, for a demonstration (fay) of his righteoufnefs, in this prefent time, that he might be juft, and yet the juftifier of him that believeth in Jefus. But furely, if fatisfaction can be made for the injury done to the glory of God by all the fins of all mankind, and their falvation from eternal deftruction into everlafting life and happiness, can be rendered confiftent with the Divine Attributes (in confequence of their repentance) upon fuch eafy terms as the giving up one mere man to temporal death for two or three days, and then rewarding him with fupreme dominion and glory at God's right hand;-whatever inference the intelligent Creation of God may draw from hence in favour of his clemency, they can draw none in favour of his righteoufnefs or juftice. They cannot learn from this to form more exalted views of this: But, on the contrary, they will find their ideas of it contracted; and will be inclined to fuppofe, both that fin is no very great evil, and that God is not much difpleafed with it; inasmuch as he forgives the complicated

and

and aggravated guilt of fo many myriads of finners, forbears to execute upon them the vene geance threatened in his holy and righteous Law, and even raises them to glory and felicity inconceivable and eternal, merely because one mere man, like themfelves, dies for them. Surely to talk of God's righteoufnefs being demonftrated by fuch a scheme as this,- -to say that all this was done to fave the honour of his JUSTICE,-that he might be (and appears to be) JUST, while he is the merciful juftifier of him that believeth in Jefus,-would be highly abfurd and ridiculous.

6. "If we be truly fenfible of our fins, (fays Bishop Pearfon) we must acknowledge, that, in every one, we have offended God; and the atrocioufnefs of every offence muft needs increafe proportionably to the dignity of the party of fended, in refpect of the offender; because the more worthy any perfon is, the more reverence is due unto him, and every injury tendeth to his difhonour: but between God and man there is an infinite difproportion, and, therefore, every offence committed against Him, must be esteemed as in the highest degree of injury."--Hence we know (as the Apoitle hath affured us) "it is not poffible that the blood of bulls and goats fhould take away fins; and we may very well doubt how the blood of Him, who hath no other nature than that of a mere man, can take away the fins of other men, there appearing no fuch difference as will fhew a certainty in the one, and an impoffibility in the other."

66

7. "But, fince we may be bought with a price, well may we believe the blood of Chrift fufficiently precious, when we are affured, that, through the union of the human nature with the divine, it is the blood of God (as St. Paul calls it, Acts xx. 28.) nor can we queftion the efficacy of it in purging our confcience from dead works, if we believe Chrift offered up himfelf through the eternal Spirit."-For as the atrociousness of the offence beareth proportion to the person offended, fo the

value

value of reparation arifeth from the dignity of the perfon fatisfying; because the fatisfaction confifteth in a reparation of that honour which, by the injury, was eclipsed; and all honour doth increase proportionably as the perfon yielding it is honourable." Notwithstanding, therefore, "by every fin we have offended God, who is of infinite eminency, according unto which the injury is aggravated," yet we may be "fecure of our reconciliation with God, becaufe the perfon who hath undertaken to make the reparation is of the fame infinite dignity, fo that the honour rendered by his obedience is proportionable to the offence, and that dishonour which arose from our difobedience."

8. This point is fet in a clear light by Dr. Abbadie. "If Jefus Chrif be GOD-MAN, the intimate union of the humanity with his Divinity, may well be conceived to render his life and blood infinitely precious. Of this, we may affure ourselves by reasoning from the lefs to the greater. A clod of the vallies, for inftance, is of no worth or dignity; we do not care how many blows it receives; it makes no difference whether it be preferved or deftroyed. But if it be united to a Spirit, the union will immediately confer a dignity upon it; fo as to give a proportional value to its actions, or fufferings, on the behalf of any one. Then fuppofe it exalted to an union with the Divine Effence, and its intimate relation to God will render its vicarious obedience and sufferings of infinite worth.-Or thus:/ if the fufferings of a perfon of quality be of more value than thofe of a peasant ;- -if thofe of a King's fon, than thofe of a perfon of quality;and if thofe of the King himself, than thofe of his own fon: It follows, if we proceed in this gradation ad infinitum, and can find a perfon whofe dignity has no bounds, his fufferings will be of infinite value. Such, according to our hypothefis, is JESUS CHRIST, for he is GOD manifeft in the flesh. In all his fufferings, and in

L

the

the depth of his humiliation, he poffeffed the. glories of the GODHEAD; which ennobled and, dignified, beyond conception, and beyond bounds, all that he did, 'and all that he underwent, for the falvation of finners.".

9. "Such a Saviour, being the gift of the Divine Father to miferable men, must be a present of infinite value;" and as it could proceed from nothing but infinite mercy and love, fo it, renders our falvation confiftent with infinite justice and purity. "But, after all that can be. faid for the contrary fentiment, a man is but a man; and we should exalt the mercy (and juftice)of God at a childish rate, were we to exclaim,Unfpeakable love! unbounded mercy! which gave, (awful juftice! emendous holiness! which required) the temporal life of a mere man for the eternal falvation of all mankind! Nor would an exclamation of this kind be much more pertinent on the Arian hypothefis." For, "is there. any proportion-let common, fenfe judge-between the temporal life of any mere creature (laid. down for two or three days) and the eternal fc-. licity of all the redeemed?"

10. And as it is not conceivable that the tem-, poral life of a mere man, or mere creature, could be an adequate ransom for the whole human race, innumerable as they are, fo as to procure from divine and infinite Juftice their forfeited everlafting life and happinefs; as it is not conceivable that the blood of fuch a one, fhed for them, fhould have fo much more virtue than the blood of thousands and millions of bulls and goats, as to be able to do what the blood of such creatures could not do, viz. take away men's fins, in order that the falvation of fuch polluted and rebellious creatures might be confiftent with the purity of the Divine Nature, the authority of his law, and equity of his government'; and he might give the whole intelligent Creation (at least all the upright part thereof) a demonftration of his righteoufnefs, as well as clemency, of his justice as well

as

as mercy-as, in this fenfe, especially, no man tan redeem his brother, or give unto God 1 his atonement or ranfom, Pfalm xlix. 7; fo, every branch of the falvation wherewith Chrift came to fave finners, manifefts its Author to be more than a

mere man or mere creature.

11. According to the Scriptures, he is the Light of the world, and enlightens the amazing dark nefs of millions of minds: He is the Life of the world, and foftens the extreme hardnefs of myriads of hearts: He is the Sun of righteoufnefs, and arifes upon multitudes of cold, benighted, bewildered, defponding mortals, with healing in his wings, fo that they go forth and grow up as calves of the stall, as Malachi has it: He is the Phyfician of fouls, and while he pardons the aggravated guilt, he renews and heals the fallen and difordered nature of all that apply to him. He is prefent with his people, all in general, and each individual in particular, at all times, and in all places, throughout the univerfal globe, protecting them against all their enemies, ghoftly and bodily, fuccouring them in all their temptations, comforting them in all their troubles, and fupplying all their wants: He watches over them by night and by day, wherever they are, at home or abroad, in town or country, by fea or land, in England or in China, as the Shepherd and Bishop of their fouls, feeding them in green pastures, leading them befide the ftill waters, and reftoring their fouls He preferues them from falling, keeps them by his power through faith unto falvation, and prefents them faultlefs before the Prefence of his Glory with exceeding joy.

:

12. Now let these various branches of the falvation, wherewith Chrift came to fave finners, be confidered, and then say whether he must not be more than a mere man or mere creature? and whether the Lord's words by the Prophet Ifaiah, Ch. lxiii, 10, 11. and xliv. 21, 22. must not contain a certain and important truth? That ye may know, and belieue, and underfland, that I am HE:

L 2

before