EVIDENCES OF FORGIVENESS. 131 II. God revealed this sacred truth by the INSTITUTION OF SACRIFICES. Sacrifices by blood, do all of them re- spect atonement, expiation, and consequently forgive- ness. It is true, indeed, they could not themselves take away sin, nor make them perfect who came to God by them, Heb. 10 : 1, but yet they undeniably evince the taking away of sin, or the forgiveness of it, .by what they did denote and typify. I shall therefore look back a little into their rise and intention. 1. The origin of sacrifices is not in the Scripture ex- pressly mentioned : only the practice of the saints is recorded; but it is certain, from infallible scripture evi- dences, that they were of God's immediate appointment. God never allowed that the will or wisdom of man should be the spring and rule of his worship. That solemn word wherewith he prefaces the rule of his wor- ship, " Thou shalt not make to thyself," which is the life of the command, (that which follows being an ex- planation and confirmation of the law,) cuts off all such pretences, and is as a flaming sword turning every way to prevent men's arbitrary approaches to God's institu- tions. God will not part with his glory of being the only lawgiver, as to the whole concern of his worship, or any part of it, to any of the sons of men. 2. Neither is the time of their institution mentioned. Some of the papists urge (for there is a generation of philosophical disputers amongst them, by whom their tottering cause is supported), that there would have been sacrifices in paradise if man had not sinned. But as, in all their dogmas, the first inquiry must be, what do they get by this or that, their whole religion bjing shaped to their carnal interest ; so we may in particular do it, upon this strange assertion, which is perfectly contradictory to the very nature and end of most sacri- fices, namely, that they should be offered where there is no sin. Why, they hope to establish hence a general
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=