fully under the Mosaic dispensation; and it was the "theme of prophecy," until "the fulness of the time was come, when God sent forth his Son, made of a woman" into this lower world. It has, with different degrees of light, been the object of the saints' faith in every age; and it is the only ground of hope to man, whether saint or sinner. And therefore the denial, or disregard of the doctrine of the Atonement, constitutes a man an enemy of the cross of Christ. What saith the Scripture? The testimony of the SPIRIT by Prophets and Apostles. "After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself." Dan. ix. 26. "He shall bear their iniquities." Isa. liii. 11. 66 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness : by whose stripes ye were healed." 1 Pet. ii. 24. Observe, it was through the grace, and by the appointment of the FATHER. "It pleased Jehovah to "It pleased the Father bruise him; he hath put that in him should all ful ness dwell; and (having him to grief when thou shalt make his soul an of-made peace through the fering for sin, he shall see blood of his cross,) by him his seed, he shall prolong to reconcile all things unto his days, and the pleasure himself. And you, that of Jehovah shall prosper were sometime alienated, in his hand. He shall see and enemies in your mind, of the travail of his soul, by wicked works, yet now and shall be satisfied: by hath he reconciled in the his knowledge shall my body of his flesh through righteous servant justify death, to present you holy, many; for he shall bear and unblamable, and untheir iniquities." Isa. liii. reprovable, in his sight." Col. i. 19-22 10 11. "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isa. liii. 5, 6. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John, iv. 10. "Who was delivered for our offences, offences, and was raised again for our justification." Rom. iv. 25. "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all." Rom. viii. 32. "He hath made him to be sin [a sin offering] for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Cor. v. 21. "We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man." Heb. ii. 9. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." Rom. v. 8-11. "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things,but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish, and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God." 1 Pet. i. 18-21. "He hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin." Eph. i. 6, 7. It was also through the ineffable grace of the His own Testimony. "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Matt. xx. 28. "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." John. x. 17, 18. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilder- "This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins." Matt. xxvi. 28. The Testimony of the SPIRIT again, through "Christ also hath loved "Who gave himself for us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet smelling savour." Eph. v. 2. "The Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Gal. ii. 20. "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity." Tit. ii. 14. our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father." Gal. i. 4. "That he might reconcile both [Jews and Gentiles] unto God, in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." Eph. ii. 16. AGAIN. "He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter." Isa. liii. 7. "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John, i. 29. "In the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain." Rev. v. 6. AGAIN. "Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures." 1 Cor. xv. 3. "Christ died for the ungodly." Rom. v. 6. "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." 1 Pet. iii. 18. AGAIN. "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?" Heb. ix. 14. "Now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." Heb. ix. 26—28. "By his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." Heb. ix. 12. "Having therefore, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh." Heb. x. 19, 20. "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ." Eph. ii. 13. "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.” Rev. v. 9. "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." Rev. i 5. It is obvious that the words or phrases, flesh, blood, death, died, laid down life, delivered up, lifted up, gave himself, offered himself, are but different modes of expressing the same thing. This variety, however, irrefragably proves that atonement for sin and reconciliation to God, is through the death of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. See also under Ser. III. Extr. 2 ;--Ser. IV. Extr. 2. EXTRACT III. On counting the Blood of the Covenant unholy. "INSTEAD of being spiritually minded, they are resting in a carnal mind; they are looking to outward blood, as having a tendency to cleanse the soul, when it is no more related to the soul than the dust of the earth; it has no part with it, nor can it take from, or add any part to it. It never gave it any life, nurture, or succour, whatever." p. 10. What is the Testimony of the Spirit? "If we sin wilfully, God, and hath counted after that we have re- the blood of the covenant, ceived the knowledge of wherewith he was sanctithe truth, there remaineth fied, an unholy thing, and no more sacrifice for sins, hath done despite unto the but a certain fearful look- Spirit of Grace ? For ing for of judgment and we know him that hath fiery indignation, which said, Vengeance belongshall devour the adversa- eth unto me, I will reries. He that despised compense, saith the Lord.' Moses' law died without and again, The Lord mercy, under two or three shall judge his people. witnesses of how much It is a fearful thing to sorer punishment, suppose fall into the hands of the ye, shall he be thought living God."" worthy, who hath trodden 26–31. under foot the Son of Heb. x. |