SECTION Il. 543 men? Whence came this universal tradition.? Whence this general sense of mankind, that there must be an atonement for sin made by sacrifices ? It does not look like the invention of man, as Porphyry has shewn long ago, to cut living creatures to pieces; and burn their entrails, in order to please; his Ma-. ker. Is it not highly probable therefore that it was some original institution of God, or divine appointment, attended with a promise or encouragement to hope for mercy from an , offended God ? And what could such sacrifices of brute-crea- tures signify to this purpose ; but as theywere figures of some mdre valuable and richer sacrifice ? And is not this the very thing which the gospel ofChrist reveals, and hereby answers the solicitous and anxious enquiries of guiltymen ? Even that there is forgiveness to be found with God, and that the sacrifice of atonement is his own Son, by whom we have redemption from grunishment in his blood, even theforgiveness of sins through the riches of his grace. Again, what is the next chief concern and enquiry of an awakened soul? I find my nature prone to sin, my senses and passions lead me astray from the inward dictates of my duty: Temptations in this world are great and many, my own strength to resist them is but weakness, they prevail over menotwithstand- ing all my better resolutions. Is there no assistance in this diffi- cult work to be obtained from heaven, whereby I may keep my- self from thedefilements of a sinful world, and serve and please my Maker and my God ? And is not this also another blessing whichthe gospel reveals ? Even the Spiritof God promised to mortify our sins, to renew our souls to holiness, to sanctify us and reform us to a heavenly temper, to enable us insome measure to do our present duty here, end fit us for the en- joyment of God hereafter. Thus that sacred book, the New Testament, discovers, to us those two most eminent and impor- tant blessings which an awakened sinner feels himself to stand in need of; and yet Agrippa has left them both out of his creed. IX. Since the gospel has revealed these two blessings in; such express language for the relief of sinful man : What is there in the description or proposal of them in the gospel that lies cross to the dictates of right reason ? What is there in the literal sense-of these doctrines that is contrary to the nature or perfections of God, or disagreeable to the reason of man ? What is there that should constrain us to construe them into a meta- phorical sense, and to explain them merely as figures and em- blems? It isgranted indeed, that the reason of man could not find them out ; yet when once they are revealed and proposed to ús, do they not appear very consistent with our best reasonings about God or man, and consistent also with all -other parts of di- vine revelation ?
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