508 THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. most glorious person Jesus Christ into this world with peculiar commission to restore the religion of nature, the knowledge of the one trueGod and his spiritual worship, instead of a load of cere- monies, whether human or divine, and to teach the nations true virtue and piety without superstition : He was sent to assure of the pardon of their sins upon repentance, which indeed they knew before, or their reason might have taught them, but not quite so clearly, and to tell them that after death men should be called to account for their behaviour in this life, and that a suture state of long misery should attend the wicked, anda fair and lasting scene of happiness was provided for those who were vir- tuous. Thishided, saith he, reason teaches us too, but the gospel superadds the resurrection of the body. a And further, that this glorious person coining into the world for the reformation of it when it was so dreadfully corrupt- ed, and preaching in opposition to the gross errors and iniquities of the age, it could not be expected that he should escape their rage and malice : Thus he was condemned by tho Jews, and crucified by the Romans. This death of Christ on the cross was a noble testimony which he gave as a martyr to the doctrines which he preached ; and it is dignified after the Jewish and eastern manner with grand expressions in the New Testament, and represented in many sacrificial phrases, of which the Jews were extremely fond, such as redeeming us by his blood, and snaking atonement for sin, 4c. because by his death he vindicat- ed and sealed that doctrine, which taught the assured pardon of sin upon repentance, and the recoveryof sinners by new obedi- ence to the favour of God and eternal life. Before he left the world he appointed two ceremonies, viz. baptism and the Lord's- supper ! the first by washingwith water to represent to us that we must be washed from our sins, that is, we must repent andbe reformed, and live a new life if ever we would be pardoned and saved ; and the second by eating bread and drinkingwine, to put us in mind that Jesus Christthe Reformer of tile worlddied in vindication of this doctrine of pardon of sin upon repentance, and to confirm the discoveries of this mercy to sinful men. After this he roseagainfrom the dead, gave his twelve chief disciples a little further instruction about propagating this general reform- ation ; then he ascended to heaven, to intercede for men, and to, rule over them, and afterward furnished theapostles with mira- culous powers, on purpose to awaken the attention of the world to the rules of virtue and goodness, which they should teach them in the name of'Jesus their Master : And therefore we are said,. in the New Testament, to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit, because the miracles wrought by the gifts of the Spirit roused a stupid world into consideration, and also did something toward the confirmation of those truths which mankind were exhorted to consider in order to their reformation and salvation.
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