from the immediate act of the Godhead; from one Person of the ever-blessed Trinity having taken our nature upon him, and in that nature offered up a sacrifice holy and unblemished; a victim equivalent in value to whatever might be the ransom required.

Against this mysterious dispensation, and especially against the doctrine involved in it of vicarious atonement, the objections usually advanced appear for the most part to originate in a disbelief or disregard of that other great article of our faith, no less involved in it, the Divinity of the Redeemer. His Divinity is that which gives a stamp of infinite value to the sacrifice upon the cross; that which most effectually removes every doubt of its sufficiency and perfection. It is that also, which most readily obviates every objection respecting the supposed injustice of ordaining the innocent to suffer for the guilty. With those who regard our Saviour as nothing more than man, however guiltless and perfect, this difficulty may well seem insurmountable. But take the case as it is actually presented to us, and the main objections vanish. For as, on the one hand, the acknowledged perfections of the Divine nature united to the manhood, supersede all question concerning the efficacy of the sacrifice offered in

the manhood only; so, on the other hand, the voluntary interposition of a Divine person in our behalf removes every shadow of a charge injurious to its justice. The Almighty here calls not upon any of His creatures to make the sacrifice. He takes the whole work of redemption upon HIMSELF. He "provides for Him"self the Lamb for an offering." And though "the just suffers for the unjust'." and "He "who knew no sin is made sin for us," yet the sacrifice being thus prepared and perfected by God himself, and not exacted from any created being, “every mouth is stopped;" none is aggrieved, none has cause to arraign the equity of the dispensation. Stupendous as the work indeed is, and exhibiting a display of mercy and condescension surpassing all that it could enter into the heart of man to conceive; yet does it stand clear of every imputation on the wisdom or justice of its Divine Author; absorbing every other feeling of the mind in emotions of love and gratitude, of overpowering admiration and reverential awe.

Abstaining then from all unprofitable speculations on a mystery so unfathomable, let our thoughts be chiefly employed in applying it as the main foundation and support of Christian faith and practice.

9 Gen. xxii. 8.

r 1 Pet. iii. 18.

s 2 Cor. v. 21.

From the foregoing representation of the dignity and office of our Redeemer, foretold by the Prophets and confirmed by the Apostles, we are taught to "look unto Jesus," both as "the Author and Finisher of our faith." Man could not be the author of his own salvation. It cometh of GOD only; and CHRIST who is expressly declared to be "the "Author of eternal salvation," is no less explicitly represented to us as GOD himself. In his divine character therefore this title is ascribed to him. As the Finisher of our faith, the person in whom all things relating to our redemption were accomplished, he was indeed the man Christ Jesus, who "died for

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our sins, and rose again for our justifica"tion"." This was the effect of his incarnation. If then we deny that in him dwelt "the fulness of the Godhead bodily," we undermine the foundation of our trust in him as a Saviour; and must be at a loss to conceive that the shedding of his blood could have that efficacy in it, which, according to the Scriptures, as well as to our own imperfect apprehensions, the exigency of the case appears to require. They, therefore, who deny him in the one character, go far towards denying him in the other. If we doubt his

t Heb. v. 9.

u Rom. iv. 25.

divinity, our belief in the atonement is shaken. If the atonement be acknowledged, the belief of his divinity becomes requisite to give it full effect. Accordingly, they who question the former doctrine are generally disposed to question the latter; whilst the Church Catholic throughout all ages has uniformly upholden both; acknowledging our Lord to be "the everlasting Son of the Father,” yet that it is he who hath "redeemed us with his pre"cious blood." Upon the certainty of both these doctrines depends the whole system of our redemption; which is weakened, if not destroyed, where either of them is disclaimed. If, indeed, our Lord had not a divine character, or if he did not suffer as an atonement for our offences, in what sense do we receive him, and trust in him as a Saviour? To instruct men by precept and example in a more perfect way of righteousness; to "bring life “and immortality to light" by a more distinct revelation of a future state; and to declare more explicitly than heretofore on what terms the Almighty would bestow the gift of eternal life;-these unquestionably were great and important purposes which our Lord came to accomplish, and which by his life and doctrine he perfectly fulfilled. But if this were all that he did for us, however

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highly we might venerate him as a teacher sent from God, it will be hard to explain in what sense he is said to be "The Lord our Righteousness," the "Propitiation for our sins," our "Mediator" and " Advocate," our "High-Priest" and "Intercessor." These are titles expressive of an office and character perfectly distinct from all who ever preceded or followed him, and utterly inapplicable to any other of the sons of men. Nor is it easy to perceive why his coming should have been introduced by so splendid an apparatus of prophecy and miracles, and by the peculiar system of the Jewish Law, unless something were to be effected through Him, in which all mankind, before as well as since that period, had an especial interest. If "Abraham re'joiced" in the expectation of His appearance; if in Christ "all the nations of the "earth were to be blessed;" if He was "the "desire of all nations;" if "as in Adam all 'died, so in Christ shall all be made alive;"what can we infer, but that the benefits of redemption were to extend to the faithful through all ages, past, present, and to come; and that He by whom it was wrought is "the

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same yesterday, to-day, and for ever?"

We see then of what vast extent and magnitude is the profession, however simple it