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his blood, to the account of God's appointment, as mentioned above. The evident, though disguised intention of the objection and language is plainly this: "Sinners, you must be content with a finite "creature Saviour, or none at all. If Christ be "God, he is too great to do you any essential ser"vice as a Saviour, because Deity cannot die. "Therefore do not think sin is infinitely odious " and hateful to God. It does not demerit infi"nite displeasure and punishment. If it did, "there could be no infinite satisfaction made to "God, for even supposing Christ to be divine, "his sacrifice could not be of infinite value, because as a divine person he could not die.". Let us calmly consider this formidable objection, and seriously attend to the supposed dreadful dilemma, in which will be found more artful sophistry, than argument and solid sense.

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Death always implies a separation, or a loss of that wherein life consisted. Death, in the sense we are now called to consider it, is a separation of the principle of sensation and influence; thus it is said, The body without the spirit is dead. Without the soul it is in a state of total inactivity, incapable of voluntary motion, and divested of all sensation. Now though the body only be the subject of death, considered as a state of inactivity and insensibility, yet the man is said to be dead, when soul and body, the constituent parts of hu

manity, are separated, although the soul or spirit distinctly considered from the body is not the subject of death. A spirit cannot die, because it is of a simple or uncompounded nature. There is no part of a soul, from whence another part of itself can be separated, or divided. If a soul can be so separated, consciousness either does, or does not, continue in each separated part. If each part remain conscious, then are they two souls, or two conscious subsistences If one separated part of the soul remain unconscious or in a state of insensibility, wherein does that supposed unconscious part differ from matter? A created spirit might cease to exist, if God so determined; but die it cannot. Annihilation is not death. What is annihilated has no existence, but what is dead exists, however its form be changed. There is therefore no force in the objection, Deity cannot die, for as no spirit can die, it might as pertinently be objected, if Christ had a soul he could not atone for sin, because a soul cannot die. But the death of a spirit cannot be supposed in that case, death is not predicable, yet a man being composed of body and spirit, is with propriety said to be dead, when matter and mind, those constituent parts of humanity, are separated. Dead saints are therefore said to rest in their beds in respect of their bodies; yet in reference to their souls, each one is walking in his upright

ness.

Death is therefore called a departure. The Now as the divine and human spirit of our Immanuel ceased to animate his body, the person of the Mediator may as properly be said to have been dead, as the person of Samuel, David, or any other. It may be necessary to observe, that death does not dissolve the relation between the body and spirit, but death consists in a total cessation of vital influence, or a removal from the body for a period, the principle of sensation and animation. But the relative union still continuing, therefore the spirits of martyrs are represented as concerned about, and longing for their bodies, which were killed for the cause of Christ on earth, and at the resurrection every soul will have its own body. As through the separation of body and soul, and the relation between them being undissolved, the man is properly dead, and yet the soul not changed in its natural powers; so in like manner, and for the same reason, it appears the person of the Mediator was really dead for a time, his precious body not being animated by, though related to his human and divine spirit. Yet his death does not imply or suppose the least change or mutability in his divine nature, nor any alteration in the powers and properties of his soul. Agreeably to the above view of things we are told, that when the beloved disciple saw his Lord in transcendent

time of my departure is at hand.

splendour, and majestic glory, and fell at his feet as dead, the reviving and compassionate language of Jesus was, Fear not, I am the first and the last, he that liveth and was dead, and behold I live for evermore, amen; and have the keys of hell and death; Rev. i. 17, 18. That he the first and the last was dead, is again repeated in the solemn message sent to the church at Smyrna; Rev. ii. 8. Thus it appears that there is no force at all in the objection aforesaid, for instead of Christ's divinity rendering him incapable of atoning for sin, the infinite virtue and value attending the sufferings of his humanity, arose from its union with the divine nature, as one person. By virtue of which union his blood is divinely precious, and called the blood of God: like as the spirits under the altar call the blood with which they sealed their testimony for God, when in the body, our blood".

* To elucidate the above subject and render it plain to young christians, it may not be amiss to observe the following easy illustrative gradations; there is a value or worth attending simple matter considered as the production of God, who made every thing good, yea very good; yet ani. mated matter is superior to what is not so, though it wear an inferior form, otherwise a living dog would not be better than a dead lion, nor the body of a man preferable to a bag of sand. Animated bodies rise in value and respect, in proportion to the natural superiority of the spirits by which they are governed and influenced; though the body of a sparrow is the subject of animation as much as the body of a man, yet a human body is of more value than

of

May the Lord the spirit bless these attempts to remove the stumbling-blocks out of the way serious inquirers after the truth as it is in Jesus.

PART II.

EXPERIENCE.

Stumbling-blocks relating to CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE are various, and what generally appears first in view is, respecting what right or warrant an undone sinner hath to apply to Jesus as a Saviour. It is common for those who are convinced of sin, and see the need of salvation, to look for some good thing in them, as the ground of encouragement for their applying to, and closing with the blessed Jesus. But finding themselves

many sparrows: again the importance of actions through the medium of matter arise from the volitions and influence of the spirit by which they are performed, were it not so, the actions of a man would not excel those of a monkey. Moreover, in regard to human nature there is a great disproportion in real worth, arising from internal qualities, or external dignity, for scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man, some would even dare to die. Hence David's adherents said, Thou art worth ten thousand of us. How infinitely precious and worthy then was the divine Jesus, in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. May every believer's heart glow with love to him, and gratitude for him, and say, with unfeigned lips, Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.

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