tEItMoNXXXIV. 441 ishonour to himself, and his government. Henan glorify his justice and his mercy, at onee, in a most exuberant and illustrious manner, since his own Sonhas become a priest of atonement, and offered up himselfas a sacrifice, to makepropitiationfor sin : He can declare his righteousness, though he passes by a thousand (fences that are past, and canchew himself,just to his own law and government, at the same time that heforgives millionsof sins; and is a justifier ofhimwho believeth in Jesus ; Rom. iii. 25, 26. X. I might add in the last place, since my text intimates it, that as the great God in his eternal counsels, appointed his Son Jesus Christ to undertake thisdifficult and glorious work, for the salvation ofsinful men, so in the days of the gospel he has, in the most plain and explicit manner, offered this reconciliation to sinners who return to God by themediation of Jesus Christ : He has proposed peace to those who are sincerely desirous to be reconciled to God, and to have all enmity done away on both sides ; to those who trustin the virtue ofthe bloodof Christ, as the foundation of this divine peace between God and them, or in the language of my text, to those who have faith in his blood. But let it be remembered, that this desire to be reconciled, must proceed from a painful sense of sin, that makes a separation between God and the soul: This implies sincere repentance in the nature of it. It must be such a faith in Jesus andhis sacrifice, as works powerfullyby holy love, and produces all the good fruits of religion in the heart and life. Allfaith is useless to attain peace with God, unless it carries in it the springs and seeds of love and holiness. Though we arejustified by faith, yet it must not be a mere bold presumption, but a living faith, which will appear in its fruits. Thus I have endeavoured to perform the first thing Ipro- posed, and that was to chew in whatmanner Iconceive of the Son ofGad becoming an atonement for the sins ofmen. 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 conceive ofthem : Several learned and pious men have explained the manner of this atonement in another way : But they agree in the doctrine of a proper satisfaction for sin. Different persons behold the representationof these great and important things of christianity in different 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 ofGod, yet, I am fully persuaded, God has never made salvation to depend upon a nice exactnessof sentiment about the mere order of ranging these divine dis- ii2
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