Happy they, who, rejecting the vain reafonings of the carnal mind, and the cob-web-defences of the fhort-fighted creature, have been laid proftrate as guilty and helpless, before the fovereign and almighty Creator. All mankind, in the feveral ages of the world, have in general discovered fuch a jealoufy of their condition, and have fo far felt the reproof and condemnation of natural confcience, that their attempts and inventions have been innumerable to appeafe the offended Deity."

But bleffed be the name of God, we are not left to any uncertainty as to this important queftion. We may chearfully apply our minds to it, and receive unspeakable confolation" through the tender mercy of our God; whereby "the day-fpring from on high hath vifited us." The way to life and peace is fully explained in the glorious gofpel of the Son of God. We are indeed, by nature, guilty finners, enemies to God in our minds, and by wicked works; but there is a gracious provifion made for our recovery in the mediation of Chrift. This is the ftrong hold and refuge of the finner; it is the foundation ftone and confidence of the believer. In the 8th and 9th verfes of the preceding chapter, the apoftle John fays, "If we fay that we "have no fin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confefs our fins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our fins, and to cleanfe us from all unrigh"teoufnefs." And in the verfe preceding the text, "My "little children, thefe things write I unto you, that ye "fin not. And if any man fin, we have an advocate "with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous." He then teaches the Chriftianto live by faith in the Saviour's blood: And he is the propitiation for our sins. And that he might further illuftrate the extent and efficacy of the great atonement, he adds, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. In further difcourfing on this fubject, I propofe, through the affiftance of divine grace,

1. To confider Chrift as the propitiation for fin, or what is implied in his being fo called.

2. To confider the extent of this propitiation, or its being for the fins of the whole world. And,

3. To make fome practical improvement of the fub. ject.

1. First, then, Let us consider Christ as the propitiation for sin, or what is implied in his being so called. We find our Saviour defigned as a propitiation in feveral other paffages of fcripture; as in this epiftle, chap. iv. 10. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he "loved us, and fent his Son to be the propitiation for our "fins;" and Rom. iii. 25. "Whom God hath fet forth "to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." It is the opinion of many learned men, that Chrift is called a propitiation, or the propitiation, in allufion to the mercy-feat above the ark, which was fet up at first in the tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple in the most holy place. To confirm this, it is obferved, that the original word here used is the fame which the Greek tranflators of the Old Teftament always ufe to denote the mercy-feat, and which the apoftle to the Hebrews ufes when speaking of the fame fubject, Heb. ix. 5. "And over it the cheru"bims of glory fhadowing the mercy-feat: of which we "cannot now fpeak particularly." But I apprehend there is fome inversion of the order of things in this remark: for Chrift is not called a propitiation in allufion to the mercy-feat, which, independent of him, could ill bear that denomination; but the mercy-feat hath this title given to it because it was an eminent type of Chrift. It beautifully indeed reprefented the benefit which we derive from him as our propitiation. For as God, by the Shechinah, or fymbol of his prefence, dwelt of old upon the mercy-feat, between the cherubims, and was from that place propitious to his people; fo now God dwells in Christ, and by him reconciles finners to himself: 2 Cor. v. 19. "To wit, "That God was in Chrift, reconciling the world unto "himself, not imputing their trefpaffes unto them; and "hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." In that ancient difpenfation, every worshipper was to look toward the mercy-feat; and it was from thence that God accepted them, and gave intimations of their acceptance: fo it is through Christ, or in his name, that we have now accefs to God; and it is in him that he fheweth us favor, and maketh us accepted; Eph. i. 6. "To the praise of "the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accept

"ed in the beloved." It was from the mercy-feat that God fpake to his people by the intervention of the highpriest, and by Urim and Thummim; fo it is by his Son that God now speaks to us, and fhews us the way of falvation: Matth. xvii. 5. "This is my beloved Son, in "whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."

But the true and proper meaning of Chrift's being a propitiation, is to be taken from the facrifices in general, and particularly points at his undertaking the office of mediator or peace-maker between God and man, and in that capacity suffering the wrath of God in the room of finners. By this he appeaseth him, rendereth him propi tious or gracious to us, and purchaseth our pardon : Rom. iii. 25. "Whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation, "through faith in his blood." Remember how intimately it is connected with redemption, another expreffion which runs through the whole of the New Teflament,, and is confidered as equivalent to the forgiveness of fins : Eph. i. 7. "In whom we have redemption through his "blood, the forgivenefs of fins, according to the riches "of his grace." Now, redemption certainly fignifies purchafing or buying with a price.

The facrifices under the Mofaic economy did all of them imply a fubftitution in room of something that had been forfeited, or was due. It is obferved by one eminent for his knowledge of Jewish antiquities, that befides what was done when any particular perfon prefented a fin-offering, at the continual burnt-offering there were certain men appointed to represent the whole congregation of Ifrael. Their office was, to lay their hands upon the head of the lamb, and thus as it were transfer the guilt from the people to the victim. On this account they were called stationary men, because they attended continually for this end. And as the very purpose of the facrifices under the law was, to typify the facrifice of Christ, they are a ftanding evidence of the early and original reference to him, as the ground of divine mercy.

Nothing is more undeniably true, than that the offering of facrifices was both early and univerfal in every nation under heaven; and it is no less certain, that those

who used them did confider them as expiatory, or propitiatory, to render the offended Deity placable, and obtain his mercy. This was at once a confeffion of guilt, and a declaration, that they apprehended the neceffity and propriety of an atonement. Neither is it poffible to account for the univerfal prevalence of facrifices in any tolerable manner, but by fuppofing, that they were the remains of what had been taught in the ages immediately after the fall, by divine appointment.

I apprehend it is alfo undeniably evident, that this is the light in which the facrifice of Chrift is reprefented in the holy fcriptures. How many paffages might be adduced to this purpofe? In ancient prophecy, this part of his work is fet forth in the following manner, If. liii. 4, 56, 7, 8. 6,7, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried "our forrows: yet we did efteem him ftricken, fmitten "of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our tranfgreffions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the "chaftisement of our peace was upon him, and with his

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ftripes we are healed. All we like fheep have gone "aftray: we have turned every one to his own way, and "the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He "was oppreffed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not "his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the flaughter, "and as a fheep before her fhearers is dumb, fo he open"eth not his mouth. He was taken from prifon and "from judgment: and who fhall declare his generation ? "for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the "tranfgreffion of my people was he ftricken." Dan. ix. 24. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, "and upon thy holy city, to finish the tranfgreffion, and "to make an end of fins, and to make reconciliation for "iniquity, and to bring in everlafting righteoufnefs, and "to feal up the vifion and prophecy, and to anoint the "moft Holy."

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In the New Teftament, he tells us, he was to lay down his life for his people: John x. II. "I am the good fhepherd: the good fhepherd giveth his life for "the fheep." The fame thing he plainly fays in the in30

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ftitution of the facrament of the Lord's fupper, Matth. xxvi. 26, 27, 28. "And as they were eating, Jefus took "bread, and bleffed it, and brake it, and gave it the

difciples, and faid, Take eat; this is my body. And " he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, faying, Drink ye all of it: for this is my blood of the "New Teftament, which is fhed for many for the re"miflion of fins." That his body broken and blood fhed for his people, was to be underfood of his being made a fin-offering, is plainly teftified in the apoftolic writings, 2 Cor. v. 21. "For he hath made him to be fin for us, "who knew no fin; that we might be made the righ"teoufnefs of God in him." Gal. iii. 13. "Chrift hath "redeemed us from the curfe o! the law, being made a "curfe for us; for it is written, Curfed is every one that "hangeth on a tree." Heb. ix. 26, 27, 28. Heb. ix. 26, 27, 28. "But now "once in the end of the world, hath he appeared to put "away fin by the facrifice of himfelf. And as it is ap"pointed unto men once to die, but after this the judg(6 ment: fo Chrift was once offered to bear the fins of many; and unto them that look for him, fhall he appear the fecond time, without fin, unto falvation." See alfo the affertion of the apostle Peter, 1 Pet. iii. 18. “Christ "alfo hath once fuffered for fins, the juft for the unjust, (that he might bring us to God) being put to death in "the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.' It is evidently alfo on this account, that he is called the Lamb of God, and we are called to attend to him in that capacity, John "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away

i. 29.

"the fin of the world."

It is lamentable to think, that there fhould be any who call themfelves Chriftians, and yet refufe to acknowledge this truth, which is woven, if I may fo fpeak, through the whole contexture, both of the law and gofpel. It brings to my mind the ftory of an ancient artist; who, being employed to build a magnificent and elegant temple, had the ingenuity to infcribe upon it his own name, and fo to incorporate it both with the ornaments and body of the ftructure, that it was impoffible afterwards to efface the name, without at the fame time deftroying the fabrick.