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THE 'ATONEMENT OF
CHRIST;
[SERM. XRXV.
that
had been
put
to
death' in
sacrifice
:
And thus
God
made it appear
to them,
that
their
nakedness
was
cover-
ed,
and the
shame
of
their guilt
removed,
by
a
blessing
derived
from
the
beasts
that
were slain.
The
skins
of
the
sacrifices being
put
upon their
bodies,
might
abate
some-
thing of their former
fear,
and encourage
them to
appear
before
God,
who were
terrified a little
before,
at
the
thoughts
of
their
guilt
and
nakedness.
Their
deserved
death
was
transferred
to the sacrificed
animal
;
and
the
skin
of
the animal
sacrificed,
was
transferred
to
them
as a
covering
for
their guilt and
shame.
These are
no
obscure intimations
of
benefit and safety
to be
derived
to
sinners, from some
atonement
to
be
made for
sin.
If
we will
hearken
to
St.
Paul,
he
explains
the first
promise, when
he says,
Heb.
ii.
14,
that
"
Christ took
flesh
and blood
upon
him,
that -he
might, by his own
death destroy
the
devil, who
had the power
of
death,
or
had introduced it
into
the
world."
Here
the Saviour's
heel was bruised, and the head
of
the
serpent
broken
nor
can
it
be well
supposed,
how
the
death
of
Christ
should destroy the works
of
the
devil,
but
by
making
an
atonement for
the
sins
of
men
;
for
which
sins
divine
justice
had
put
them
under
his
power
or tyranny.
I
will
not
presume to
say,
that
Adam
himself
could
read
so
much gospel
as
this in those first words
of
pre-
mise; or
that
he knew in
so
explicit and distinct
a
man
ner,
the
designs
and ends
of
a
sacrifice, when
God
taught
him
the practice
:
Yet
it
is
very probable,
that
the
great
God
condescended
to
give
a
much
farther
explication
both
of
the
first words'
of
comfort concerning the
seed
of
the
woman, and
of
his own
appointment of
sacrifices,
and
of
the reason
of
them,
than
Moses has
written,
or
than
we
who live
at
this
distance
of
time
can ever cer-
tainly
know.
III.
Suppose
what
I
have
yet
offered, be
too
obscure
a
foundation
for
this
doctrine,
yet
let us
consider
that
the following
train
of
ceremonies,
which were
appointed
by.
God
in
the Jewish church,
when he
separated
a
pecu-
liar,people
to himself,
are plain significations
of
such
an
atonement
for
sin
as
our
Lord
Jesus
has
made, and they
confirm the meaning
of
the
first
institution
of
sacrifices.
I willgrant
indeed,
that
many
of
the ceremonies
of
the
Jewish church, had
also some
other intendm4nts,
viz