64 THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST. [SEAM. XXXIV. in a few days or hours,, unless upon a supposition that all offences committed against the infinite majestyofGod, have a sort of infinite demerit in them. Ibeg leave to add this one thought more, and that is, if sin has not a sort of infinite demerit in . it, I cannot see why man himself, by some years of penal sufferings, might not make full atonement for his own sins : But, thelanguage and current of scripture seems to represent sinful man as for ever lost to all hope in himself, and then the necessity of a Mediator appears with evidence and glory. . PROPOSITION VI. Though man be incapable to satisfy for his own violation of the law, either by his obedience or his punishment, and so to .restore himself to the favour of God, yet God would not suffer all man- kind to perish. Thereforeout of his abundant mercy, he appointed his own Son to undertake this work. His own, his only begotten Son, who is the brightness of his Father's glory, and who lay in the bosom of the Father before all worlds, his Son who was one with the Father, by a communion of the godhead, and who is himself, on this account, called God over all, blessed for ever ; this well-beloved Son of God is ordained and appointed to be the great Reconciler between God and man. PROPOSITIONVII. Because God intended to make a full display of the terrors of his justice, and his divine resentment for the violation of his law ; therefore he' appointed his own Son to satisfy for the breach of it, by becoming a proper sacrifice of expiation or atonement: Now, both among Jews and heathens, the original no- tion and design of an expiatory sacrifice, is, when some other creature or person is put in the room or place of the transgressor, and the punishment or pain due to the transgressor is transferred to that other person or crea- ture. Therefore beasts were slain for the offences of men, who were supposed to deserve death. And when any person became a surety for a city or nation that was defiled with sin, among the heathens, that person was substituted in their room, arid so devoted to death. So the Son of God became a surety for sinful men: It pleased the Father to make'him (heir sacrifice, and sub- stituted him in their stead: God ordained that he should 5
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