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When facrifice was offered for all Ifrael, the legal innocence of the victim is reprefented as imputed to the whole congregation. Hence, with respect to the day of atonement, it is faid; " On "that day fhall the priest make an atonement for 66 you, that ye may be clean from all your fins þe"fore the LORD."

111. The profeffors of religion were, in various inftances, admitted to feast on the facrifices they had offered unto God. This was a token of the acceptance of their perfons, as legally juftified through the imputation of the innocence of the victims whofe blood they had fhed. This, it would appear, was a very ancient cuftom. When Jacob entered into a covenant with Laban, he "offered facrifice upon the mount, and called his "brethren to eat bread f." As a folemn pledge of complete reconciliation, they ate together of what had been offered in facrifice. Some indeed fuppofe, that the language means no more than that Jacob killed fome of his herd or flock for a feast. Bur the expreffion literally is, he "facri"ficed a facrifice;" which cannot, confiftently with its ordinary ufe, be understood of preparation for a common meal. Before the law was given from Sinai, we find Aaron and the elders of Ifrael feafting in a religious manner on that facrifice of thanksgiving, which had been made by Jethro the father-in-law of Mofes. By the law, it was provided that the people should feaft

on

Lev. xvi. 30.

f Gen. xxxi. 54.

g Exod. xviii. 12.

h.

on the peace-offerings, in that place which God was to felect for the permanent refidence of his fanctuary . All the Ifraelites, who were not legally unclean, were, according to divine appointment, to feast on the pafchal lamb, which had been offered to God in facrifice, as a figure of Chrift. Now, this privilege was a token of divine acceptance, through the facrifice, as prefiguring that which fhould be offered for the actual expiation of fin. Something better is conferred Becaufe" Chrift our paffover is facrificed "for us," we are called to "keep the feaft," by faith to feed on him, to eat and drink his blood: and this is given us as a feal of all spiritual bleffings, and especially of the imputation of his righteoufnefs. For "this cup," faith Chrift, "is the "New Teftament in my blood, fhed for many, for "the remiffion of fins.”

on us.

IV. All the patriarchs and faints under the Old Teftament were faved by imputation. This is evident from their hiftory, as recorded in both parts of the facred canon; and especially from the beautiful and ftriking compend given of it in the Epistle to the Hebrews. They were faved, not by their own works, but by faith, as contradiftinguished from them all. This their faith refpected a revealed rightcoufnefs, a righteoufnefs without them, totally different from any internal work of the Spirit, or external holinefs. They were not faved by their facrifices, as if thefe in themfelves

**'h Lev. vii. 15.; Deut, xii. 5. 7.

had

had been worthy of divine acceptance; nor by the act of facrificing, as an act of obedience to the letter of God's commandment; but by means of faith, as refpecting a better facrifice, a perfect and everlafting righteoufnefs. Noah was " an heir "of the righteousness which is by faith." Abraham "believed God, and it was counted unto him "for righteoufnefs," or as afterwards, "it was 'imputed to him for righteoufnefs k." This can only be underflood of faith, as embracing the righteousness of the promised feed; not of faith as itself conftituting the righteoufnefs of Abraham. For this would directly oppofe the whole current of the Apoftle's reafoning. This would be to convert faith into a legal work; to make juftification an act of God refpecting men as godly because of their believing; to exhibit the reward as, not of grace, but of debt. When it is faid, that Noah" became an heir of the righteoufnefs "which is by faith," the very language ufed implies, that this righteoufnefs is effentially diftinct from all that which conftitutes our fanctification. A man is not faid to "become an heir" of what he hath himself acquired. This expreffion denotes a legal tranfmiffion from another, of what is not primarily one's own. The language refpects an adoption, proceeding wholly from grace, of those who are naturally aliens; and their admiffion through faith to a participation of that juftifying righteoufnefs which is "unto all, and upon "all them that believe."

"Bleffed,"

k Rom. iv. 4. 5. 22.

i Heb. xi. 7.

"Bleffed" indeed "is the man to whom the "LORD imputeth not iniquity!" May it be our great concern, and our distinguishing privilege, to partake of this bleffednefs! But it can be ours, only as enabled from the heart to renounce all our righteoufneffes as filthy rags, and to fay in faith, 66 Surely in JEHOVAH have I righteouf"nefs."

SECTION XV.

The Neceffity of Almighty Power for changing the Heart, illuftrated from the Hiftory of Creation ;-from the Inefficacy of the feverest Judgments;-from the Hiftory of the promised Seed; -from the nature of the Victories obtained by Ifrael;-from their being fill taught to depend folely on God;-from fome Circumstances attending the rebuilding of the Temple ;—from the perfonal Miniftry of Jesus.

EVERY man, who has carefully and impartially read the Holy Scriptures, must have remarked, that it is evidently the intention of the Spirit of infpiration, to prove in a variety of ways the inefficacy of external means, and to fhew the indifpenfable neceffity of almighty power in chan

ging

ging the hearts of men. This is done, not merely of profeffed defign, but often as it were incidentally. As the light of divine truth, with refpect to this important fubject, beams forth with the greatest luftre, in the exprefs doctrines of revelation; many of its precious rays are fcattered through the hiftory of the Church, and illuminate even the fhadows which in part concealed her beauty during the early period of her exift

ence.

1. This doctrine is illuftrated by the hiftory of creation. It is faid perhaps, What hath the original creation of man to do with his falvation from a state of fin? But the connexion is very intimate. The work of God, in the renovation of the heart, is in Scripture frequently reprefented as a new creation. "We are his workman'fhip, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works !." "If any man be in Chrift, he is a new crea"tion m." This This infpired language remits us to the history of the first creation, as exhibiting the pattern of the fecond.

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All things were made of nothing. There was no pre-existent matter. This fitly represents the natural state of man, as ruined by fin. He hath no actual life, no latent principle of life, or difpofition towards it. Or fhall we view creation in its firft appearance, when "the earth was with"out form and void," or empty; when "dark"ness was upon the face of the deep?" Have

we

1 Eph. ii. 1o.

m 2 Cor. v. 17.

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