Christ, with respect to his death, is by himself compared to the ferpent which was exposed by Mofes in the wilderness, that those of the people who looked upon it might be cured of the bite of fuch ferpents. Here the analogy is obvious. The diftempers of which they were cured were of the body, but thofe of which we are cured by the gospel are of the mind. John iii. 14. And as Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the wilderness, fo muft the fon of man be lifted up. Ch. xii. 32. And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me. In this latter text the allufion is perhaps different from that above mentioned; for here Chrift, being raised above the earth by means of the crofs, is represented as drawing men from earth towards Heaven.

I shall close this account of the figurative representations of the death of Christ that occur in the New Teftament, with a view of the principal uses that the sacred writers make of it in illustrating other things. They fhew that the apostles were glad to take every opportunity of confidering the death of Christ in a moral view, as affording the strongest motives to a holy life. They also fhew a fondness for very strong figures of speech. For the greater part of the metaphors in the following verses are much bolder, and more far fetched than comparing the death of Christ to a facrifice. Rom. vi. 3. Know ye not, that so many of

you

you as were baptized into Jefus Chrift, were baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with bim by baptifm, unto death; that, like as Chrift was raised up from the dead by the glory of his Father, even fo we also fhould walk in newness of life, &c. Gal. ii. 20. I am crucified with Chrift, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me, ch. vi. 14. God forbid that I should glory, fave in the cross of our Lord Jefus Chrift, by which the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world. See alfo, Eph. ii. 5,

6.

SECTION IV.

Various Kinds of Phrafeology refpecting the Death of Chrift explained.

BESIDES the death of Christ being

exprefsly called a facrifice, and various facrifical expreffions being applied to it, the language of fcripture is thought to favour the doctrine of atonement in various other respects, perfectly corresponding with the idea of its being a proper facrifice, and irreconcileable with other views of it. I fhall therefore, briefly confider every representation which I can find of this nature,

1. Chrift is frequently faid to have died for us. But, in general, this may be interpreted of

his dying on our account, or for our benefit. Or, if, when rigorously interpreted, it should be found that if Chrift had not died, we must have died, it is ftill, however, only confequentially fo, and by no means properly and directly fo, as a substitute for us. For if, in consequence of Christ not having been fent to inftruct and reform the world, mankind had continued unreformed, and the neceffary confequence of Chrift's coming was his death, by whatever means, and in whatever manner it was brought about, it is plain that there was, in fact, no other alternative, but his death, or ours. How natural then was it, efpecially to writers accustomed to the strong figurative expreffion of the East, to say that he died in our ftead, without meaning it in a strict and proper fenfe, as if God had absolutely required the death of Chrift, in order to fatisfy his juftice for our fins, and as a neceffary means of his forgiving us. Nothing but declarations much more definite and exprefs, contained at least in fome part of scripture, could authorize us to interpret in this manner fuch general expreffions as the following. John x. 11. I am the good Shepherd; the good shepberd giveth his life for the sheep, ch. xv. 13. Greater love bath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. 1 Pet. iii. 18. Christ hath once fuffered for fin, the juft for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. John xi. 50. It is expedient for us that one man fhould die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. A fhepherd,

A fhepherd, in rifking his life for his sheep, evidently gives his life for theirs, in a fufficiently proper fense; because if he had not thrown himfelf in the way of the wild beasts that were rushing upon his fheep they must have died. But here was no compact between the beafts and the fhepherd; the blood of the sheep was not due to them, nor did they accept of that of the shepherd in its stead. This cafe is, therefore, no proper parallel to the death of Christ, on the principle of the doctrine of atonement.

2. Chrift is faid to have given his life as a ransom (pov) for us, but it is only in two paffages that this view of it occurs, viz. Matt. xx. 28. and Mark x. 45, both of which contain the fame expreffions, as delivered by our Saviour on the fame occafion. The fon of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minifter, and to give his life a ranfom for many. 1 Tim. ii. 8. Who gave himself a ransom (alpov) for all. We meet, however, with other expreffions fimilar to thefe; as Tit. ii. 14. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

In all these cafes, the price of redemption is faid to have been given by Christ, but had we been authorized to interpret these expressions as if we had been doomed to die, and Christ had interpofed, and offered his life to the Father in

the

the place of ours, the representation might have been expected to be uniform; whereas, we find, in general, that the price of our redemption is given by God, as John iii. 16. God fo loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlafting life. Rom. viii. 32. He that spared not his own fon, but delivered him up for us all, how shall be not with him freely give us all things?

This language, on the part of God, or of Christ, is very proper, confidered as figurative. For if nothing but the miffion of Chrift could have faved the world, and his death was the neceffary confequence of his undertaking it, God is very properly faid to have given him up for us; or fince he undertook the work voluntarily, and from the love that he bore to man, he alfo may be faid to have given his life as a ransom for ours; and thus these texts come under the same general idea with those explained above. In a figurative fense the gospel may be faid to be the most expenfive provifion that God has made for recovering men from the power of fin, in order to purchase them, as it were, for himself.

3. Chrift is faid to bear the fins of men in the following texts. If. liii. 11. He shall bear their iniquities. v. 12. He bore the fins of many. 1 Pet. ii. 24. Who his own self bore our fins, in his own body, on the tree. Heb. ix. 28. So Chrift was once offered

to