480 THE'ATiOPEMssr Or"CHRIST. in it, then no mere creature, by all his sufferings, could. make complete and equal satisfaction for sin : But when the Son o God, who is one with the Father, takes flesh and blood upon him, and becomes God manifest in the flesh, here God and man are united in one complexperson, and hereby we enjoy an all-- sufficient Saviour, a Reconciler beyond all exception, a Sacrifice of atonement, equal to the guilt of our transgressions. And so far as I can judge, it is on thisaccount one apostle says ; Acts xx. 28. " God redeemed the church with his own blood ; and another asserts, Hereby perceive we the loveof God, that he laid down his life for us ; i John iii. 18. And I do not yet see sufficient reason why that expression of St. Paul ; Heb. ix. 14. may not be referred to thesame sense. " Howmuch more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience, &c." If the eternal Spirit signify the divinenature or godhead, whichdwelt' bodily in the man Jesus, thenthe dig- nity of his complete person is made the foundationof the value of his blood. Thisdignity of the godheadwhich was personally unitedto theman who suffered, spreads an infinite value over his sufferings and merit : And this renders them equal to that finite guilt and demerit of sin, which would have extended the punishment of man to everlasting ages. The infinite dig- nity of the person suffering, answers to the infinite dignity of the person offended, and so takes away the necessity of the everlast- ing duration of it. Thus our blessed Mediator, the man Jesus Christ, in whom dwells all the fulness of the godheadbodily, fulfilled therighteous demands of the law, and suffered the penalties due to our sins. Ile magnified his Father's law in this manner, and made it honourable, beyondwhat all the sons of Adam coulddo by their utnno8t sufferings. Thus the justiceof God shines most gloriously in the sut%rings of his Son Jesus Christ : Thus the great God vindicated his owncharacter, as a wise and righteous law- giver, before the face ofmen andangels, in the anguish and death of his sown Son : Hegave a most awful and formidable assurance, that he was not a God tobe trifled with, andthat the sin of his crea- turesshould not go unpunished. He that spared not hisownSon,. when he stood inthe room ofsinners, will never spare guiltyrebels that persist in their rebellions. Thus far we see howChrist be- came a sacrifice of atonement. ÌX. God,, the great Ruler of the world, having received, such ample satisfaction for sin, by the sufferings of his own Son, can honourably forgive his creature man, who was the trans-. gressor. There is soglorious a reparation made to the honour of bis righteous and brokenlaw, that he canjardon srnnerswithout
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