fcripture, every where, declares, that "without fincere prayers and thanksgivings, without repentance, faith, and obe"dience, all facrifices, were not only unprofitable, as to the favour of God, and "his pardoning mercy; but alfo detestable "in his fight: and when the prophets una-nimously agree, that it was not any thing "in the moft numerous, expensive, or pompous facrifices that had any effect "with God, but only doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God"."

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§. 30. ANSW. I acknowledge, that the fcripture every where declares, that, without repentance and fincere obedience, all facrifices were not only unprofitable, as to God's favour and pardoning mercy, but deteftable in his fight; and that it declares, likewise, that the facrifices of the wicked, were an abomination to the Lord, and that the most numerous, expenfive, and pompous oblations, unaccompanied with repentance and obedience, doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God, would not avail to procure the favour of God, or to avert deferved punishment.-But, as far as I can find, neither fcripture, nor prophet, any where declare, (as the Dr. fays, they do,) "that it was not any thing in the most nu

merous,

See Scripture-doctrine of Atonement examined, Chap. VI, §. 119.

merous, expenfive, or pompous facrifices "(whether of good or of wicked men) "that had any effect with God, but only "doing justly, loving mercy, and walking

humbly with God." On the contrary, it is frequently declared, that the facrifices of good men, as well as their piety, were acceptable to God, and actually accepted by him; and had fuch effect with him, that they were the real means of obtaining bleffings from him. See Gen. iv. 4. viii. 19. Levit. chapters v, and vi. 1 Sam. xxvi. 19. Job xlvi. 8, 9. Pfal. xx. 3. Ifai. lvi. 7. Ezek. xliii. 7, &c.-To which let me add, that this doctrine of the Dr's if it were true, would prove too much, even that the inftitution of facrifices was altogether useless, and, therefore, unreasonable, and the more fo, because it was burthenfome.

§. 31. BUT notwithstanding the fcripture has declared, that facrifices, without repentance and fincere obedience, were unprofitable, as to the favour and pardoning mercy of God, and even deteftable to him ; yet I cannot fee, how this declaration should be an undoubted confirmation, or any confirmation at all, of the Dr's opinion about the fymbolical nature of Jewish facrifices; unless we lay it down for a maxim, that where two things are mentioned as being concerned in the production of one effect, and it is faid, that that effect cannot be produced

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duced by the one without the other; there the thing, of which it is faid, that it cannot produce the effect without the other, muft, in all cafes, be understood to be a fymbol or emblem of that other thing. For unless this be admitted as a maxim, it will not follow, that facrifices were fymbols of repentance and obedient difpofition, merely because it faid, that " facrifices, "without these, were unprofitable as to "the favour and pardoning mercy of God, " and even deteftable to him." But this maxim, upon the truth of which the truth of the Dr's argument depends, is evidently falfe, as might be fhewn from many inftances of real facts, if it were needful. I fhall only mention two, viz. moisture is a known caufe of the fertility of the earth; but, without heat, it can conduce nothing towards the fertility of the earth: and yet it cannot with any truth, be hence inferred, that moisture is a fymbol of heat.

-Again, to take an inftance from a case, that is pretty fimilar to that which we are confidering; the performance of the external dutys of religion is one mean, whereby an interest in the favour and pardoning mercy of God may be fecured: but the performance of thefe external dutys, unaccompanied with repentance, faith, and obedient difpofition, instead of contributing, in any degree, towards the fecuring an interest

in the bleffings mentioned, is utterly unprofitable, and even deteftable in the fight of God and yet it cannot be hence inferred, that the external dutys of religion are fymbols of repentance, faith, and obedient difpofition. But though this inference cannot be drawn from thefe premises, yet there is the fame reafon for drawing it from them, that the Dr. had for drawing his inference, concerning the fymbolical nature of Jewish facrifices, from the fcripture's declaring that all facrifices, without repen"tance and obedient difpofition, were un

profitable, as to the favour and pardoning mercy of God, and deteftable in his fight." Wherefore, if the inference be faulty in the one cafe, it must be equally faulty in the other. Upon the whole, we may, I think, truly conclude, that this declaration of fcripture, upon which the Dr. builds fo much, is fo far from being an undoubted confirmation, that it is no confirmation at all, of his opinion concerning. the fymbolical nature of Jewish facrifices.

§. 32. THAT which appears to me to have been true matter of fact in this cafe, is this; to the making atonement for fin, under the law of Mofes, both repentance, expreffed by a verbal confeffion of the fin, and, likewife, the oblation of a facrifice, were made neceffary by the appointments of that law and, for this reafon, atone

ment

ment could not be made for any fin by either of the two, without the other. Repentance was neceffary, in this affair, as a moral qualification in the finner for pardon. The facrifice, likewise, had its ufe and end in it, as an oblation to God for the fin which had been committed.-And may we not conceive of all this in a rational way, without fuppofing the facrifice to have been a fymbol either of repentance or of penitent address to God, and without contradicting any one fingle dictate of reafon, or common fenfe? Surely this is very poffible. Repentance, without doubt, was the only moral turn or difpofition of mind, that could fit and qualify the offender for favour and pardon. This will be readily granted. And as to the facrifice; (about the nature of which there is much difpute;) might not this have been a very fit and proper inftrument of divine government, instituted with a view to render the grant or conveyance of pardon to the offender, confiftent with the wisdom, goodness, fecurity, end, and rectitude of divine government, by preferving a due difference between the treatment of the penitent offender, and the treatment of all other perfons, who had behaved in another way than he had done? The poffibility of conceiving thus of the meaning, defign, and efficacy of fuch facrifices as were offered to make atonement for particular