moving whatever in the Jewish constitution hindered their admittance, and accepting them as his people interested in all the honours and blessings of his kingdom and covenant. And then he sent his apostles to preach peace, or reconciliation, &c. which in Eph. ii. 16, 17, is considered as the consequence of Christ's reconciling both Jews and Gentiles unto God in one body by the cross. He first reconciled them by the cross, and afterwards by his apostles came and preached peace, &c.

152. I conclude therefore; that the sacrifice of Christ was truly, and properly, in the highest degree, and far beyond any other, piacular and expiatory, to make atonement for, or to take away sin. Not only to give us an example; not only to assure us of remission; or to procure our Lord a commission to publish the forgiveness of sin but moreover to obtain that forgiveness, by doing what God in his wisdom and goodness judged fit and expedient to be done in order to the forgiveness of sin; and without which he did not think. . it fit or expedient to grant the forgiveness of sin.

CHAPTER IX.

MISTAKES ABOUT THE EFFICACY OF CHRIST'S DEATH.

153. WE now come to the mean, the death of Christ, variously expressed by his blood, his cross, his giving himself, being crucified, giving himself an offering and sacrifice, and other phrases, which are all to be found in the preceding collection of texts; and, as to our present design, need no explication. What requires our particular attention is, to state the connexion between the mean and the effects: or to shew, wherein the virtue and efficacy of Christ's death consists, as it stands in relation to the effects assigned to it; or as it is a reason or consideration of God's forgiving of sin, and conferring the blessings of the gospel. And

154. I.. The design of it could not be to make God merciful; or to dispose him to spare and pardon us, when, as some suppose, so great was his, wrath, that had not Christ interposed, he would have destroyed us. This is directly contrary to

the most plain and certain notions of the divine goodness, and to the whole current of revelation; which always assures us, that the pure love of God to a sinful world, was the first mover and original spring of the whole of our redemption by Christ, John iii. 16. All that Christ did and suffered, was by the will and appointment of God: and was conducive to our redemption only in virtue of his will and appointment. Heb. x. 7. John v. 30.vi. 27, 38.

155. II. Nor can it be true, that by his sufferings he satisfied justice,* or the law of God. For it is very certain and very evident, that justice and law can no otherwise be satisfied than by the just and legal punishment of the offender. In the day thou eatest thereof dying thou shalt die; Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them, is the eternal and immuta

*

By justice, in this case, is not meant justice as it is an attribute in God, or that branch of his moral rectitude, which we call righteousness: but justice as stinted and directed by law commanding duty, and denouncing a penalty in case of transgression. Here therefore justice and law come to the same thing; only law is the rule, and justice is acting according to, or the execution of. that rule.

ble language of law. Law, in its own nature, must always condemn the criminal; and justice, acting according to law, must always precisely inflict the penalty. But the pardoning grace of the lawgiver is not obstructed by any demands of law and justice. For he can set them aside; and whenever he grants a pardon, he must necessarily set law and justice aside, or take the affair out of their hands, and determine it by his own prerogative and wisdom. Not law and justice, but wisdom and goodness are the rules, and the only rules, of pardoning mercy. And all the world allows, that several just considerations may possibly occur to satisfy the lawgiver, or to render it expedient and proper for him, to relax the penalty of the law, and to extend his favour and mercy to offenders. And if this were not allowed, in proper cases, there could be no such thing as a pardon, or mitigation of the sentence of law, either with God or man. Which in every nation, and throughout the whole universe, would be a state of things the most unreasonable and the most dreadful. And thus, by the pardoning mercy of the lawgiver, offenders may be released from the penalty

or curse of the law most effectually, and to all manner of intents and purposes. A's therefore the scripture never speaks, (nor, in any consistency, can speak) of Christ's satisfying the divine law or justice, so it is evident, there is no necessity for it: for all the ends of redemption may be obtained without it, by satisfying the wisdom of the lawgiver.

156. III. Nor will the notion of Christ's dying in our stead, paying an equivalent, or suffering a vicarious punishment, bear the test of scripture or reason.* 1. Because this notion never enters into the notion of atonement by sacrifice. [113, 114, 118.] 2. It is but saying in other words, that he fully satisfied law and justice, by dying in our stead, or suffering so much as in law and justice was equivalent to our suffering. But law and justice can never admit of one man's dying in the stead of another; or of his suffering the punishment which in law and justice is due to the offender only.†

See this point admirably well argued in a small pamphlet, entitled, Second Thoughts concerning the death and sufferings of Christ. P. 15-23.

It is usual here to allege pecuniary cases, in which one person pays money for another, who is insolvent. But money, in its proper nature and use, is a transferable