the altars of their gods. Now the death of Chrift, at the fame time that it was a gracious condefcenfion to the prevailing opinion of the neceffity of facrifice, put an entire end (through a great part of the world) to that fanguinary species of devotion, by rendering it totally useless and inefficacious. For "Chrift "was offered once for all; by one offering "he perfected for ever them that are fancti"fied*;" and obtained, by one fingle act, that which mankind had, from the beginning of the world, been endeavouring in vain to accomplish, by innumerable and continual facrifices, namely, the pardon of their fins, and reconciliation with God. After this univerfal and effectual expiation, no other was of the leaft ufe or value. Accordingly, in every country that embraced the Gospel, all facrifices, both animal and human, immediately ceased; and a sudden and absolute period was put to that incredible effufion of blood, which had deluged the world almost from the very creation down to that time. IV. At the fame time, that the facrifice made by Christ upon the cross put an end to Hebrews x. 10. 14. all all other facrifices, it gave (what they could never give) an abfolute certainty of pardon, on the condition of repentance and reformation of life. This it was impoffible that any one could rationally expect from the flaughter of an innocent animal, much lefs from that of a human being. Both thefe acts feemed, in themselves, rather calculated to increase guilt than to take it away. God might, indeed, if he pleased, accept the commutation of one life for another; and it was on this prefumption that the Heathen world adopted the custom of facrifices. But this was certainly a mere prefumption. Without an exprefs revelation of the divine will in this refpect, no one could be abfolutely fure that fuch a fubftitution would be accepted. But God has now actually declared in the Gospel, that he does accept the death of Christ as a propitiation for our fins. And to put this beyond all doubt, he has ratified and confirmed that acceptance by a public, fignificant, and decifive act of approbation, the act of raifing him from the dead. V. The death of Chrift is also a feal and confirmation of the new covenant betwixt God and man. For For it was the cuftom of almost all ancient nations, both Jews and Gentiles, to ratify their treaties and covenants by facrifices. Of this you may fee inftances in various parts of Scripture *, and in several Heathen historians †. In condefcenfion therefore to the manner of men, and to confirm their faith in his promises, God did, by the facrifice of Chrift, feal and ratify his new covenant of mercy with mankind ; upon which account the death of our bleffed Lord is called (as the Jewish facrifices alfo were) "the blood of the "covenant." This, therefore, is another excellent purpose answered, by that method of redeeming us which God was pleased to fix upon that it is conformable to all thofe fœderal rites by which men were wont to confirm their covenants with each other; and thus gives us every poffible affurance, not only by words, but by the most expreffive actions, that God will perform all his gracious promifes made to us in the Gofpel, provided we fulfil the conditions on which alone thofe promises are made. : Gen. xv. Jerem. xxxiv. + Livy, lib. i. c. 24. &c. &c. Thefe Thefe are fome of the reasons which might poffibly induce our Maker to fix on the death of his Son as the best method of redeeming mankind; and there may be, and undoubtedly are, many other reasons for that choice, unknown to us, ftill more wife and more benevolent than those already fpecified. Yet these are abundantly fufficient to convince us, that the Redemption wrought for us by Christ upon the cross, carries in it the plainest marks of divine wisdom. Still, however, it may be urged, and it often is urged with great confidence, that even admitting the force of every thing here faid, admitting the neceffity of fome facrifice for the expiation of fin, and a facrifice too of great value and dignity; yet after all, it seems utterly incredible, that the death of no lefs a perfon than the Son of God himself should be neceffary for this purpofe; and that he, in whom all the fulness of the godhead dwelt, fhould ever confent and condescend to become that facrifice, and to expire in agonies on the crofs for fuch a creature as man, who occupies fo small and seemingly so inconfiderable a place in the immenfity of the universe. There There is undoubtedly fomething very aftonishing in this circumftance. But there are not wanting confiderations, which may, in fome degree, tend to account even for this acknowledged difficulty. In the first place, there is a very extraordinary personage mentioned in Scripture, whose existence it is the fashion of the present day to doubt and to deride, and to explain away fome of the most striking effects of his power into allegory, metaphor, vifion, and imagination. He is, notwithstanding, described by the facred writers in the plaineft and the cleareft terms, and represented as a being of high rank, of great power, and prodigious art and strength. The names there given him are, Satan, Beelzebub, the Devil, and the Prince of the Devils; and he appears to be in a state of perpetual hostility against God and Christ, and this lower world, over which he has very confiderable influence. He is defcribed by our Saviour under the image of a strong man*, whom it was necessary to bind before you could spoil his houfe. He is called the Prince of the Power of the Air ||; the Prince of this World §; Matth. xii. 29. Ephef. ii. 2. § John xii. 31. and |