89 / 674
SEEM.
XXXIV.
THE ATONEMENT
OP
CHRIST.
C9
Thus
I.
have
endeavoured tó perform the first thing
I
proposed, and
that
was
to shew
In
what manner
I
con-
ceive
of
the
Son
of
God
becoming an
atonement
for the
sins
of
men.
Far
be
it
from
me,
to
imagine
that
every
one must
believe these
things
just
after the
same
order,'
and
in
the same
manner
in which
I
have
learned
to
con
-'
ceive
of
them:
Several
learned and pious
men
have ex-
plained the manner
of
this
atonement
in
another
way
:
But
they agree in
the doctrine
of
a
proper
satisfaction'
for
sin.
Different persons behold the
representation
of
these
great and important
things
of
christianity
in
differ
ent
lights: And though,
according
to
my
measure
of
knowledge
in
the scripture, this
manner
of
conception
of
the
atonement
of
Christ
seems
most agreeable to
the
word
of
God,
yet,
I
am
fully persuaded,
God
has
never
made salvation
to
depend upon a
nice
exactness
of
senti-
ment
about
the mere
order
of
ranging these
divine disco-
veries,
or
about
the precise logical
relations
of
the
suf-,
ferings
of
Christ, to
our
sins,
or
to
our pardon. Who-
soever sincerely
confesses
and repents
of
sin,
and
trusts
in the all- sufficient
atonement and
sacrifice
of
Christ, to
remove
the
guilt
of
it,
has
abundant
assurance from
scripture,
that
the blood
of
Jesus
Christ
will
cleanse him
from
all
sin,
and
that
the
Son
of God
has.
been,
and
will
'be
his
High-priest,
to
reconcile him to
God
the
Father.
THE
RECOLLECTION.
It
becomes me now to reflect on
what
I
have
heard
this
day.
The atonement
of
Christ
is
one
of
the
chief
glories,
and
most surprising wonders
of
my
religion
:
It
is
the ground
of
my
hope,
it
is
the very
life
of
my soul.
Here
I
have been
learning
the several
transactions
of
the
great
God, the
Creator
and
Ruler
of
the world,
with all
the children
of
men from the beginning
of
their
creation. The light
of nature
informs me
in an
imper-
fect manner, and the
scripture
with much
brighter
evi-
dence assures
me,
that
I
was
made
under the
law,
and
not
born
to
live
at
random, according to the
wild
dic-
tates
of
appetite and
passion.
I
am
informed
also, my
Creator
has
guarded the
honour
of
his
law with
indig-
nation
and wrath, with
pain
of
the
flesh,
and anguish
of
the
mind,
and death
itself,
as
the penalties
to be
in-
flicted
on those
that
break
it.
A
law
divinely
wise
and
righteous, and
a'
sanction
of
solemn and divine
terror
1
Y:3