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"the Lamb of God without spot and blemish; "or fpotlefs and unblameable in all duty and "obedience to God, and in love and good"nefs to men, through the whole courfe "of his life, but efpecially at his death. "This was the facrifice which he offered to "God"." And agreeably to this notion of the facrifice of Chrift, the Dr. often mentions the blood of Chrift, and his perfect obedience, righteoufnefs, or holiness, as fynonymous terms, or words of the fame fignification. Thus he fays, "The blood of "Chrift, or his perfect obedience or righ"teousness, makes atonement for fin .".

making interceffion for us in virtue of his blood, or perfect holiness, folemnly of"fered or prefented before the throne of "God." And accordingly, he calls the facrifice which Chrift offered, a facrifice of real holiness, obedience, and goodness : "-till Chrift came, and offered himself a "facrifice of real holiness, obedience, and

goodness." But there is no occafion for multiplying quotations from the Dr's writings, to prove that this was his notion of the facrifice of Chrift, fince it is the main point in his fcheme, on which all the other

b See Scripture-doctrine of Atonement examined, Chap. X, §. 161.

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d

Ibidem, Chap. XI. §. 187. Ibidem, Chap. XI. §. 191. e Ibidem, Chap. XI. §. 190.

other parts of it depend, and on the proof of which, by fcripture-evidence, he has bestowed much pains. I fhall, therefore, proceed directly to an examination of the fcripture-evidence by which he has endeavoured to prove and fupport this point, as it lies before us in the Xth chapter of his Scripture-doctrine of Atonement examined, and in the fecond paragraph of the VIIIth chapter of his Key to the Apoftolic writings.

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§. 2. THE Dr. introduces his proof of this point in the following words, "The "word of God gives us much more just "and fublime fentiments; and fhews us ." that our Lord's death took its value not "from pain or fuffering;-but from obedience or goodness, or the most complete "character of all virtue and righteousness, "the nobleft of all principles, and the highest perfection of intellectual nature; and, therefore, of a sweet smelling "favour, or highly pleafing and grateful r to God. This I have proved, and explained at large, in the VIIIth chapter "of the Key to the Apoftolic writings, "to which I must refer the reader f.

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See Scripture-doctrine of Atonement examined, Chap. X. §. 160.

ANSWER.

S. 3. THE fentiments, which the word of God gives us of the value of Christ's death, and of that which rendered it highly pleafing and grateful to God, are, doubtless, in themselves, just and noble; and must appear to be fo to every intelligent mind, when they are fet in a true and proper light. But, I am afraid, the Dr. has not hit upon these sentiments in this place.-The death of Chrift confidered as mere pain or fuffering, could be of no value in God's fight, in no degree pleasing and acceptable to him: but, on the contrary, it must have been very odious and offenfive to him. We cannot think otherwise, without denying the goodnefs of the Deity, and conceiving of God as an evil and cruel being, who derives his pleasure and happiness from the pain and mifery of other beings. Wherefore, the Dr. is in the right, when he fays, "Chrift's "death did not take its value from pain and fuffering."-But then he tells us, "That

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"his death took its value from obedience "and goodness, or the most complete cha"racter of all virtue, and the highest per"fection of intellectual nature; and there"fore was of a fweet-fmelling favour, or

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highly pleafing and grateful to God." But this, if poffible, gives us a more shock

ing idea of God's nature than the former, as exhibiting him to be a being of a perfectly evil, cruel, and barbarous difpofition, to whom the painful and violent death of the moft obedient and good being that ever lived, was highly pleafing and grateful; and by whom that death was reckoned valuable, precious, and of great worth, for no other reafon, but because it was the death of a perfon of the higheft moral excellence, and whofe obedience and goodnefs were unexceptionable, and, in all refpects, perfect. If the violent and ignominious death of a righteous perfon, of one fo eminently righteous as Chrift was, be highly pleafing and grateful to God, and that because it is the death of a righteous perfon, what must be come of the goodness and juftice of God, or, indeed of his moral character as a being of perfect rectitude? These must all be denied, upon the fuppofition, that the Deity is capable of being pleased with, or of taking any delight in, the pain and fufferings of a righteous perfon, because he is a righteous perfon. But, I think, no more need be faid, to expose the abfurdity of this horrid principle, which the Dr. has adopted. However, to give fome light into this affair, I add, that the death of Chrift was of the nature of a mean; and our redemption from fin was the end, or effect, which was intended to be accomplished by it, as the

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fcripture every where declares. In this view of things, the death of Chrift (like all other means) must take its value, in the fight and eftimation of God, not from the pain and fufferings which attended it, nor from the obedience and goodness of the fufferer, confidered abstractedly in themselves; but from the end to which it was fubfervient, or its fitness and tendency to promote that end. The dignity, indeed, of the sufferer, the excellence and perfection of his moral character, and the greatness of the suffering, might be all requifite to conftitute the fitnefs of this mean, or to give it a juft and due efficacy for accomplishing the end intended, as they, doubtless, were, fince the scripture represents them as being all not only concerned, but needful, in the affair. But ftill, neither one, nor other of thefe, fimply and abstractedly confidered, but only as it related to the end intended, and ferved to conftitute the fitnefs of the mean by which it was to be accomplished, was pleasing and grateful to God. The death of Chrift, confidered in this view, gives us an high and noble idea of the love and goodness of God, in not fparing his own fon, though a perfon of the highest dignity, and brightest moral excellence, and exceeding dear to himself; but delivering him up to a painful and shameful death, to the end that he might accomplish the work of our redemption, and dif

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