SERM. XXXV.) THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST. t appointed death and sacrifice of beasts throughout all ages, ever since he made the first promise, and gave the first hope ofgrace to fallen man. And indeed, all the souls that were pardoned, and all the sins that were remitted under-the several ancient dis- pensations of Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses, must be referred to the virtue of this great sacrifice of the Son of God, though all who were pardoned might not dis- tinctly know the ground of it. " Him bath God set forth to be a propitiation for the remission of sins that are past in far distant ages, as well as for sins that are yet to come." Rom. iii. 25_ His sacrifice has a most exten- sive efficacy, it reaches through all nations, and all ages, from the beginning of the world to the end of it. It was this sacrifice of Christ, that gave virtue to all other insti- tutions and rights of atonement that were appointed by God himself. In themselves they were weak and insuf- ficient, but they were made powerful through the blood of Christ, to speak pardon and peace in some measure, to the guilty conscience, though since Christ is come, we hear the joyful sound of peace and pardon muchmore distinctly. IV. Nor was this doctrine manifested only in the anci- ent forms of worship and sacrifice which God had or- dained, but some of the noblest of the following pro- phecies confirm and explain the first promise, and shew that Christ was to die as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of men. I will mention only the words of those two great men, Isaiah and Daniel. By Daniel we are told, that the " Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself; and the design of this is, to finish transgression, to make an end of sin, to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness;" Dan. ix. 24. 26.. Isaiah speaks the same thing more largely, in his liii. chap- ter, verses 5, 6, 10, 11. Christ " was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed : We like sheep have gone astray, and the Lprd bath laid on him the iniquity of us all,--It pleased the Lord to bruise him, and to put him to grief, and to make his soul an offering for sin...By the know- ledge of him shall he justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities." How exceeding plain and strong is this lap.- VOL. II. G
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