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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
of
grace 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
much
more
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