226 THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST MANIFESTED, be the forerunner into heaven, and have the honour of redeem ing all the sons of God, and bringing them back unto theFather : and he decreedhim tobe the great sacrifice, for the expiation of the sins of all his chosen and favourite sons : He has redeemed them all with his blood. 2. It was in the view of Jesus Christ, as the great Media- tor and sacrifice, that God appointed any further communion, or any favourable communications, between himself and his fallen creature man. It was in this view that he appointed there should be any approach of fallenmall towards himself : It was in this, view he gave him the first promise, and the first hope of mercy, even that " the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the serpent ;" Gen. ii. 15. by whom mankind was deceived to their ruin and destruction ; and by appointing Jesus Christ to be a sacrifice for sin : It was prophesied that his heel, or the lower part of his nature, i. e. his body, should be bruised in order to break the head of the serpent ; as it is explained ; 1 John iii. 8. " For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that lie might destroy the works of the devil ;" i. e. his tyranny anddo- minion over man. This seed of the woman was the appointed sacrifice for this purpose ; Gen. iii. 15. It was with this view that God enquired after lost man in the garden of paradise, in order to recover and save him by his Son Jesus; Gen. iii. 9. " Adam, where art thou ?" And he gave him the promise of recovery by this means. And as God afterwards appointed it, that " no man should come to the Father but bythe Son ;" John xiv. 6. so he revealed himself as making his way towards fallen Adam, by this man Jesus ; and it is by him that all that are brought back again to God have been appointed to draw near to him ever since ; for he is the only appointedway. II is also very probable that God_might makeclearer disco- veries toour first parents, in the midst of their ruined and dis.. mal state, inand with the first promise, than Moses, thedivine his- torian, has given us an account of, because this was to be the beginning and first pledge of their hope of any acceptance with God, and their expectation of life and salvation. Let mehere speak one awakeningword to fallen sinners: Didyou never give' yourselves leave to think how great your guilt anddestruction is, and howterrible your misery and danger : and do you never con- sider that it was in and by Jesus Christ, as theappointedsacrifice for our sins, that God made his first steps toward you in a way of restoration and recovery ? This shouldnot.be utterly neglec-. ted and forgotten by sinners. Seehowearly was the loveof God to fallen man. 3. It was in this view of Jesus Christ, as a propitiatory sa- orifice, that God instituted sacrifices to be offered up by Adam, immediately after his fall, as it is recorded by Moses. God for-
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