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which is denoted by God's giving him all power in heaven and on earth, after his refurrection.

We shall have a clearer understanding of this paffage in the epiftle to the Coloffians, if we compare it with a parallel paffage in the epiftle of the fame apostle to the Ephefians, i. 17, &c. That the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom, that ye may know the exceeding greatness of his power, which he wrought in Chrift Jefus when he raised him from the dead, and fet him at his own right-hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. In this paffage we see most clearly that all the power and authority to which Chrift is advanced is fubfequent to his refurrection.

The origin and extent of the power of Chrift are also most distinctly expreffed, Phil. ii. 8. - - - - 11. He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jefus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every

tongue

tongue fhould confess that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father:

To the fame purpose alfo, 1 Pet. i. 20, 21. Who (Chrift) verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifeft in these last times for you, who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God. I fhould think it hardly poffible to read this fingle paffage with attention, and not fee that the writer of it confidered Chrift as a being diftinct from God, and fubordinate to him; that all his glory was fubfequent to his refurrection; and alfo, that, though he was foreordained before the foundation of the world, he was not manifefted, or brought into being, 'till these laft times, or those of the gospel.

There are fome other paffages in the New Teftament, which are fimilar to thofe which I have quoted above, and may ferve to illuftrate them, John xvi. 15. All things that the Father hath are mine, xvii. 10. All mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. 1 Cor. viii. 6. To us there is but: one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and' we in him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom ar e all things, and we by him.

That there is nothing, in any of the paffages' which I have now quoted, that implies any proper divinity in Chrift, is fufficiently evident, even without the addition of fuch expreffions as directly

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affert the contrary; as when the apostle Paul says, that to us there is one God, even the Father; and our Saviour calls his Father the only true God. To fignify that the authority of Chrift is not underived, like that of God; and at the fame time to inform us from whence it does proceed, the apoftle fays, that it pleafed the Father, that in him fhould all fullness dwell. In the very fame language our Saviour speaks of his difciples, Fear not, little flock, it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

V. OF THE DOCTRINE OF ATONEMENT.

THE death of Chrift being an event of the greatest confequence to the end of his coming into. the world, and being, at the fame time, the great ftumbling-block both to the jews and the gentiles, who could not eafily reconcile themselves to the notion of a fuffering faviour, it is no wonder that the writers of the New Teftament fpeak much of it, and reprefent it in a great variety of lights, and efpecially fuch as would appear the most favourable to the chriftian converts. In this cafe we naturally expect bold comparisons and allufions, efpecially confidering how much more figurative is the style of the books of fcripture, and indeed of all oriental writings, than ours. But in whatever Fights the facred writers reprefent the death of

Chrift,

Chrift, there is refemblance enough fufficiently to juftify the representation, at the fame time that this event being compared to fo many things, and things of fuch different natures, proves that the resemblance in all of them is only in certain reSpects, and that they differ confiderably in others.

For example, the death of Chrift is compared to a facrifice in general, because he gave up his life in the cause of virtue and of God, and more especially a facrifice for fin, because his death and refurrection were neceffary to the confirmation of that gofpel, by which finners are brought to repentance, and thereby reconciled to God. It is called a curfe, because he died in a state of sus penfion, which was by the jews appropriated to thofe perfons who were confidered as reprobated by God; and it is called a passover, because it may be confidered as a fign of our deliverance from the power of fin, as the paffover among the jews was a fign of their deliverance from the egyptian bondage. It is alfo called a ransom, because we are delivered by the gospel from fin and mifery. On the fame account, he is faid by his death to bear, or take away our fins, fince his gofpel delivers us from the power of fin, and confequently from the punishment due to it.

These are all bold, but fignificant figures of fpeech, the death of Chrift really corresponding to them all to a certain degree, but they differ fo very

widely from one another, that no one thing can correfpond to any of them throughout; for then it muft exclude all, or at leaft most of the reft. The fame thing, for instance, could not be a curse, and a facrifice; because every thing accursed was confidered as an abomination in the fight of God, and could never be brought to the altar; and the killing of the pafchal lamb was a thing effentially different from a facrifice for fin..

These observations appear to me to be a fuffieient guide to the interpretation of all the language of the New Teftament refpecting the death of Chrift, without fuppofing that it had any proper influence upon God, fo as to render him propitiousto his offending creatures, or that it made it confiftent with the divine juftice to forgive the fins of mankind; which is contrary to a thousand plain and express declarations of fcripture, which reprefent God. as being effentially, and of himself, merciful and gracious, without the leaft refer-ence to any other being or agent whatever, and as forgiving freely, and gratuitously, upon our repentance and amendment, without any other atonement or fatisfaction. I fhall therefore con-tent myself with reciting a few of the paffages in which the death of Chrift is reprefented in these feveral lights.

Eph. v. 2. Chrift also has loved us, and given himfelf for us, an offering and a facrifice to God, of a

sweet

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