DISCOURSE LI.

TITUS ii. 14.

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himfelf a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

THE expreffion here made use of, Who gave himJelf for us, is fo familiar to the ears of Chriftians, and is fo well understood to relate to the death of Chrift, and the offering up of himself upon the cross for the fins of the whole world, that there is no need to give light to it by alleging parallel places of holy Scripture. The expreffion is fomething fuller in St. Paul's firft Epiftle to Timothy; Who gave himself a ransom for all, ii. 6. As likewife, Gal. i. 4. Who gave himself for our fins: but the import and meaning of the words is one and the fame.

This doctrine of the Gofpel, that the death of Chrift was an offering made of himself for the fins of the whole world, a price paid for the purchase of mankind, that they might become his, and, together with him, heirs of glory, and of a kingdom that shall never fail, is that great mystery hid from ages and generations, but now made manifeft by the

preaching of the Apoftles and Prophets of Chrift Jefus.

But, that we may not mistake, and imagine that, because this mystery is said to be made known and manifeft to us, therefore we are entitled to call for the reasons, upon which this wonderful adminiftration of Providence is founded, it is neceffary to obferve, that the Gospel is a revelation of the will and purpose of God. The reasons upon which he acted, when he ordained this method of falvation, are not fully revealed to us; nor have we authority to fay they ever will be. Under the Law we meet with many intimations of God's purpose to fave mankind: under the Gospel this purpofe is opened and proclaimed to all the world: but neither under the Law, nor yet under the Gospel, are we inftructed in the reafons of this proceeding; but, having life and immortality fet before us in God's own way, we are left to embrace them through faith, and confidence in his promife, who is able to perform the word which is gone out of his mouth.

And, fince God has thought fit to offer the Gofpel as a matter of faith to the world, and has given his word, confirmed by figns and wonders, as a fufficient fecurity for the performance on his part, he acts without commiffion, who proposes the Gospel to the world as a matter of fcience and knowledge, and the refult of mere reafon, and pretends to account for the methods of God's wifdom, which are far above and out of his fight.

If you afk, how it became neceffary for Chrift to die, or why God required a facrifice for thofe fins, which he might, if he had so pleased, have freely

forgiven? I know but one proper answer for a minifter of the Gospel to make to these inquiries, That God has not admitted him into thefe fecret councils, nor fent him to declare them to the world.

We preach the death of Chrift a facrifice and expiation for fin, because appointed by God, who gave his Son to die for the fins of the world: we preach Chrift the refurrection and the life, because God hath given him power to raise the dead: we preach Chrift the judge of the world, because the Father hath committed all judgment to the Son. If you ask for our evidence, we anfwer with St. Peter, To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remiffion of fins, Acts x. 43. We aníwer with our bleffed Saviour, The works which he did in his Father's name, they bear witness of him, John x. 25. We answer with St. Paul, That God hath given this affurance unto all men, that he will judge the world by Christ, in that he raised Jefus from the dead, Acts xvii. 31.

Upon this evidence the faith of the Gospel stands: the Chriftian's hope of falvation has no dependence upon the fpeculations of curious inquirers, but refts upon this immovable foundation, that all the promifes of God in Chrift are yea, and amen; that is, fure, certain, and irrevocable promises.

The death of Chrift was, as the holy Scripture teaches, foreordained before the foundation of the world and fince God intended, in the fulness of time, to offer falvation to the world through faith in the facrifice of his Son, it is reasonable to fuppofe, that the facrifices before and under the Law were in. н h

VOL. II.

troduced and countenanced to prepare the faith of the world to receive the tender of God's mercies, in virtue of the one facrifice to be offered for the fins of the whole world; that, being accustomed to ask pardon for iniquities by the means of facrifices, men might be ready and disposed to receive the grace God, when offered under like conditions.

of

Sacrifices in the heathen world, as all other parts of religion, were corrupted, and applied to corrupt purposes; but they appear at firft in the religious worship of the best and most approved men in the earliest time, and were established as part of God's worship in the church of his own founding among the people of Ifrael. Had this been a mere piece of fuperftition and human invention in its original, however we may fuppofe God to accept graciously the free-will offering of a weak mind, yet it is not to be fuppofed that he would adopt the fuperftition, and make it a neceffary part of a religion of his own eftablishment. To avoid this abfurd confequence, it must be maintained, that the use of facrifice was introduced by divine precept for the atonement of fins. If facrifices were introduced by the command of God, they had fuch virtue as he thought fit to annex to the performance, in confequence of the promise which attended them; but if they came in any other way, it is impoffible to conceive that there was any virtue in them. And fince we are taught that the facrifice offered up by Chrift is the only true expiatory facrifice for the fins of the world, it is manifeft that all other facrifices accepted by God owed their efficacy to the relation they bore to this

one facrifice, through the appointment of him, who gave them for figns and figures of better things to

come.

This reasoning upon the principles of revelation taught us in the Gofpel, may fhew us that the efficacy of Chrift's facrifice is not confined to any particular age or time; that facrifices in the ancient church of God were figures and reprefentations of this one great facrifice, as the Eucharift in the Chriftian church is the memorial of it; and that the moft material and fignificative part of worship the people of God has ever been, the fhewing forth the Lord's death, in types and figures before the coming of Chrift, and in the communion of his body ever fince.

among

This facrifice conveys to us the charter of God's pardon, and, together with it, the certain hope of glory and immortality. We are now no longer our own, that we should obey the lufts of the flesh; but we are his, who hath purchased us with the ineftimable price of his own blood; purchafed us, not to be flaves, but to be his brethren, and heirs with him of the kingdom of God.

These are great hopes, and are built upon our faith in the promises of God through Chrift Jefus. How reasonable this foundation is, a little confideration will fhew. All religion ultimately refolves itself into trust and faith in God. Men are not apt to refer those conclufions to the head of faith, which they collect from their own natural reafon; and yet, oftentimes, these conclufions have no other support, In common affairs of life, where we have long known men to act upon principles of honour and