ment, and is willing to forgive sin on account of it. Otherwise, God never would designedly have taken a course by such an abundance of institutions, to bring up his people of the nation of Israel in the notion of the need of some atonement for sin, and some vicariousness and substitution of suffering for the sinner, in order to satisfy divine justice, and not only to bring up the Jews in this nation, but his church and people from the beginning of the world, insomuch that all nations received this notion from the first progenitors and founders of the nations and families of the earth.

It is also very manifest that the legal sacrifices of beasts and birds were no real atonement. This appears not only from the nature of the thing, but it is what God abundantly taught his people under the Old Testament, of whom he required these sacrifices. Ps. xl. 6, 1. 5 to the end, li. 16. Isai. i. 11, &c. lxvi. 2, 3. Hos. vi. 6. Jer. vii. 21-23, and especially Mic. vi. 6-8.

It is apparent by the prophecies of the Old Testament, that the Messiah was to offer a true and real atonement for the sins of men. That the Messiah should offer up himself a sacrifice for sin, is very clearly implied in many places there mentioned. But this doctrine is not only implied, but it is declared, that the Messiah should atone for sin, or expiate it by sacrifice. Isai. liii. 10. "When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin." Dan. ix. 24. " Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city"-to make reconciliation for iniquity, or to expiate iniquity by sacrifice, or to make atonement for iniquity; for the word in the original is the very same that is used from time to time in the law about sacrifices for making atonement. In what follows, it is declared how this atonement was to be made, viz., by anointing the most holy and the coming of the Messiah, and by his being cut off, but not for himself, and making the sacrifice and oblation to cease in the last half of the seventieth week. And it is evident that the atonement for sin here spoken of is a proper atonement, that makes real satisfaction for sin, and truly pays and finishes the debt, by the other expressions that are added, "To finish the transgression, and make an end of sin, and bring in everlasting righteousness;" and making the sacrifice and oblation to cease, i. e. by making sin to cease, making an end of sin and finishing the transgression, that there shall be no further occasion for sacrifice and oblation. And making atonement for sin is here prophecied of as that which was to be, but never yet was: it was a new thing, as the prophecy must be understood. But it could be a new thing in no other sense but that, viz., that a true and proper atonement for sin should be offered. For atonement in other senses beside this had been abundantly offered from the beginning of the world. What is translated to finish the transgression, might have been rendered to consume transgression. But

that expiation for sin that consumes transgression and makes an end of sins, and brings into a state of perpetual righteousness, so as to make all further sacrifices, or attempts, and means, and representations of atonement to cease, and should abolish them as now needless, that is undoubtedly a proper atonement for sin.

Again, it is not only manifest by the Old Testament that the sacrifice of the Messiah is a true real atonement, but that it is the only true and real atonement for sin. For the Old Testament

speaks of no other sorts of sacrifices of expiation for sin but those two, viz., the ancient legal sacrifices of beasts, and the sacrifice of the Messiah. What the prophecies sometimes say of sacrifices that should be offered by God's people, after the Messiah's ascension, must be understood figuratively; because it is expressly foretold, that the Messiah by his sacrifice should cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. And besides, as I observed before, the Messiah's making expiation for sin, is prophecied of as a new thing; and as it is foretold as a new thing, or the first thing of that nature, so it is also prophecied of as the last thing of that nature, as is implied in those expressions of his making an end of sin, finishing the transgression, and making the sacrifice and oblation to cease. And these two things put together, imply that this is the only truly expiatory sacrifice. See also Zech. iii. 8, 9. And then, that this is the only sacrifice by which the sins of God's people are atoned, and that never any one is forgiven and accepted on account of any other atonement, is implied in Isai. liii. 6. "All we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Another thing that is very manifest, is, that the legal sacrifices had a manifold resemblance and representation of that great, true, and proper sacrifice that the prophecies foretold that the Messiah Thus those beasts that were offered were without

should offer. blemish, as the prophecies represent the Messiah to be, Isai. liii., and other places. These sacrifices were not of unclean but clean beasts, therein representing that spiritual purity that the prophecies speak of in the Messiah. A very great part of those sacrifices were of lambs, as the paschal lamb, Exod. xxix. 39; and very many other of their sacrifices, which had a resemblance of what the prophecies represent of the feebleness, innocence, meekness, and gentleness of the Messiah. Most of the sacrifices were males, as the Messiah is represented as of the male sex. They were offered by a priest in white robes, representing the purity and holiness of the Messiah; who, when spoken of, Dan. ix., as great priest that should offer that atonement that should make an end of sin, is called the Most Holy." Seventy weeks are determined to make reconciliation for iniquity-and to anoint

the

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the Most Holy." The priests were anointed herein there was a resemblance between them and the great Messiah, or anointed. The sacrifices suffered as the Messiah, the great sacrifice, is represented to suffer. The sacrifices suffered death, and a violent death, as the Messiah suffered death-the sacrifices were burnt by fire from heaven; as the prophecies represent the Messiah as suffering from the immediate hand of God. In most of the sacrifices, their inward parts were to be burnt on the altar, that are abundantly made use of in the Old Testament to represent the soul; which is agreeable to what the prophecies represent of the Messiah's making his soul an offering for sin. The fat of the inwards of the sacrifices was melted, and consumed, and burnt up in the fire; which is agreeable to Ps. xxii. 14, 15. "I am poured out like water-my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels; my strength is dried up like a potsherd;" and Ps. cii. 4. "My heart is smitten and withered like grass ;" and Isai. liii. 12. " He hath poured out my soul unto death." There was the resemblance of the substitution of the sacrificed beast in suffering for the sinner, as the prophecies represent concerning the Messiah. There was an appearance of laying the iniquities of those for whom the sacrifices was offered, on the animal sacrificed, especially on some of the sacrifices on the head of which the hands of those for whom they were offered were laid, that they might lay their sins upon them. This is agreeable to Isai. liii. 6. "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." The scapegoat is represented as bearing the sins of those for whom he was offered into the wilderness; which is agreeable to Isai. liii. 4. "Surely he hath borne our griefs, he hath carried our sorrows." The Messiah is expressly spoken of as being like a lamb, in his being slain, and offered as a sacrifice for sin, Isai. liii. The high priest made intercession for the people with the blood of the sacrifices, agreeably to Isai. liii. 12.

Beside all that has been already observed, this further is manifest, viz., that they are by God called an atonement, and are said to be an atonement, times without uumber. (See the Concordance under the word Atonement.) Seeing therefore, that the legal sacrifices are declared expressly and abundantly to be no real atonement, but have evidently a great resemblance of the true atonement, and are plainly representations of it, and are abundantly spoken of by him that instituted them, as being an atonement, and as instituted by him that they might be an atonement; it is very apparent, that they were appointed figures and representations of the true atonement. For there are but these two ways of any thing's being consistently with truth said to be such a thing, by the name of which it is called, viz., either its being that thing truly and properly, or figuratively and by representation.

Either it must be that thing that it is said to be in reality, or by representation of the reality, or not at all. We have often in the law of Moses this expression used with regard to the sacrifices, The priest shall make an atonement for him. Now one of these two meanings must be put upon the words, either that he shall make a real proper atonement, or that he shall make an atonement figuratively or significantly. It is either a true atonement or a seeming atonement: otherwise it could not be an atonement in any sense, nor would it be so called by God. If there be such a thing as a real atonement for sin, and the legal sacrifices be not a real atonement.for sin, yet are appointed and accepted as an atonement, then they are appointed and accepted instead of an atonement, for that is the same thing. So that it is evident, that God appointed the legal sacrifices to stand in stead of, or to represent the real atonement. If a man be appointed to stand for another that is absent, and be accepted for an absent friend, then he is his representative. When the prophet called the arrow that the king of Israel shot out of his window, the arrow of the Lord's deliverance, nothing else could be meant, but that it was a sign of the arrow of the Lord's deliverance. So when the man that interpreted his fellow's dream, said of the barley cake, "this is the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash ;" he could mean nothing else, but that this signified the sword of Gideon. So when Joseph said "The seven lean kine are seven years of famine." And so in innumerable other instances that might be mentioned. It is evident from what has been already observed, that here are certain resemblances and shadows of sacrifices, and substitutions in suffering for sinners, and atonements for sin and it is manifest that it was out of regard to this resemblance there was in the shadow of the atonement, that the shadow was appointed. God himself has decided it by calling the shadow by the name of the substance, and by declaring that he appointed the shadow, that it might be for the substance, which he has done in declaring that he appointed it, that it might be for an atonement, i. e. instead of the real atonement, which is the substance.

These shadows of atonement are not merely called by the name of an atonement, but they are spoken of from time to time as being an atonement, and are said to be appointed, that they might be an atonement. Now what other way there is of being an atonement, but either being so really, or being so in figure, and significance, I know not.

The incense appointed in the law had a sweet smell, and was acceptable to the senses, and so had a shadow of that which was acceptable to God and a sweet savour to him. And seeing that it is expressly declared by God in the law, that he appoints this incense for a sweet savour to him, this demonstrates that God

in the appointment has respect to that resemblance, that it is appointed to be a standing representation of a true sweet savour to him. Sweet smell is appointed, because it resembles what is truly acceptable to God. When external whiteness and purity, that is a shadow of true purity in the sight of God, is called by the name of true purity; and is declared to be appointed that it might be for purity in the sight of God; this demonstrates that it is appointed to be a standing representation of true purity. So, likewise when the shadows of sufferings for sinners, and atonements for sin are called by the name of real sufferings for sinners, and atonements for sin, and are said from time to time, to be atonements for sin, and to be appointed that they might be for atonements for sin: it demonstrates clearly, that these shadows of atonement are appointed out of respect to the resemblance they have to the real atonement, and that they might be instead of it, and standing representations of it; or which is the same thing that they might be types of it. God appointed the suffering of the creature, rather than the feeding or fatting of it, for the making atonement, because the suffering of the creature has a greater resemblance of that suffering that makes a real atonement for sin. God in thus calling these shadows from time to time by the name of the things resembled, and speaking of them from time to time as being the things resembled, does therein plainly put them in their stead, and does make use of them as representations of them; as if any should on design call one by another's name, that was not his own name, and ordinarily speak of him and treat him as being that other, this would be the same thing as to substitute him for the other, and to make use of him as the other's representative.

It is an argument that the sacrifices were types of the Messiah, that when Manoah offered sacrifice by God's appointment, he that is called the "angel of the Lord," and who was the Lord, ascended in the flame of the sacrifice, Judg. xiii. 20. And so did, as it were, offer up himself in the flame of the sacrifice, intimating that he was the great sacrifice, that was the antitype of those sacrifices of beasts. The beasts that were sacrificed to God, ascended up in the flame before God for a sweet savour. So the matter is represented in the Old Testament. But here we see, that when the sacrifice was ascending in the flame, the angel of the Lord ascends in the same, to show that that was the end of the sacrificing fire, viz., to cause him to ascend as a sweet savour unto God.

Again there is clear proof, that the legal sacrifices were types of the great sacrifice of the Messiah in Dan. ix. 24. "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the