SEEM. XXXIV. THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST. 65 put himself into their circumstances, as far as was possi- ble, with a due condescendency to his superior charac- ter, and that he should sustain, as near as possible, the very same pains and penalties which sinful man had in- curred. Since tribulation and anguish of soul and body, a sense of the wrath of God, and death, were the ap- pointed penalties of the sin of man ; therefore he de- termined that his own Son should pass through all these: And since the law curses all that continue not in all the commands of it, therefore Christ was made a cursefor us, that he might redeem us from the curse of the law, Gal. iii. 10, 13. Hereby he gave a most awful and sen- sible' demonstration to this visible world of mankind, and perhaps, much more to the invisible world of angels and devils, how dreadful a thing is it to break the lawof a God, what infiniteevil is contained in sin, and at what a terrible rate it must be expiated and atoned for. PaorosITloNVIII. The Son of Godbeing immor- tal, could not sustain all these penalties of the lawwhich man had broken, without taking the mortal nature of man upon him, without assuming flesh and blood: Thus his incarnation was necessary, 'that he might be a more proper surety, substitute, and representative of man' who had sinned: and that hé might be capable ofsuffering pain, and anguish, and death itself, in the room and stead of sinful men. It was because " the children who were given to Christ, Heb. ii. 13, 14. because these children were partakers of flesh and blood, therefore he himself also took part of the same, that through death he might redeem them," that by his own dying he might make atonement for their sins; Heb. x. 5. "Sacrifice and of- fering of beasts, thou wouldest not accept as equivalent for the sins of men : But a body hast thou prepared me, saith our 'Lord, that men might beredeemed by the of- fering of the body of Christ, once for all, ver,. 10. It was in the 'prospect of the Son of God' becoming man, by-taking flesh and blood upon him, that " God snake thus to David, Ps. lxxxix. 19. I have.exalted one chosen out of the people ; that is, out of mankind I have laid help °upon one that is mighty: Anti when -he was found in -fashion as a Main, Phil. ii. 10. God laid on him :the iniquities of us all by imputation, Ps. liii. .5, 6. even as the sins and iniquities, and trespasses of VOL. I I. F
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