meaning in the words next following; that we, being dead to fin, might live unto righteousness.

Chrift is faid to die a curfe for us in Gal. iii. 10. Chrift has redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made a curse for us; as it is written, Curfed is every one that hangeth on a tree. Now it is proper enough to say, that Chrift died a curfe, becaufe the manner of his death was fimilar to that by which those who were deemed curfed under the law were put to death. But if by accurfed we mean lying under the difpleasure of God, this was fo far from being the case with respect to Chrift and his death, that in this very circumftance he was the object of the divine approbation, and complacency in the highest degree; as he himself says, For this reafon does my Father love me, because I lay down my life and it is a general obfervation in the scriptures, that precious in the fight of God is the death of his faints.

Chrift is called a Passover in 1 Cor. v. 7. Chrift our Paffover is facrificed for us: and this view is also alluded to when it is faid, a bone of him fhall not be broken. The reafon of this view of the death of Chrift was fufficiently intimated before.

As a proof that Chrift took our fins upon him, and that we, on the other hand, are juftified by the imputation of his righteousness to us, fome alledge. Jer. xxiii. 56. And this is the name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. But, according to the method of interpreting fcripture

names,

names, explained above, all that we can infer from this text is, that God will be our Righteousness, or receive us into his grace and favour by means of Chrift, or by the gospel of Chrift. That we must understand this text in fome fuch fenfe as this, is evident from the fame name being afterwards applied to Jerufalem. Jer. xxxiii. 16. This is the name wherewith fhe fhall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS: for certainly it cannot be thought that the merits of Jerufalem are imputed to mankind.

Many divines, finding themselves obliged to give up the notion of Chrift's fuffering in our stead, and our being juftified by his righteousness, as contrary to the genuine fenfe of the fcriptures, alledge, however, that God forgives the fins of mankind on account of the merit of Chrift, and his interceffion for us; and this opinion, like the former, is favoured by the literal sense of a few paffages of fcripture: but it is contrary to the general and plain tenor of it, which represents all acts of mercy as proceeding from the effential placability and goodness of God the Father only. Befides, there are many paffages in the Old Teftament in which God is represented as forgiving the Ifraelites, and receiving them into his favour, on the account of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob; and their pofterity plead the merit of these their religious ancestors in their prayers. God is also represented as ready to forgive the people of

Sodom at the interceffion of Abraham. Admitting, therefore, that God may grant favours to mankind at the interceffion of Chrift, this is not a privilege peculiar to Chrift, but is common to him and other good men who went before him; so that the general fyftem, of the forgiveness of fin, can by no means depend upon the merit and interceffion of Christ only.

1

Because your fins

The following paffages seem to represent the divine being as difpenfing mercy to mankind on the account of Christ, 1 John ii. 12. are forgiven you for his name's fake. Rom. viii. 34. Who alfo maketh interceffion for us, 1 Cor. vi. 3. But ye are juftified in the name of the Lord Jefus. Heb. vii. 25. He ever liveth to make interceffion for them.

But let these paffages be compared with the following from the Old Teftament, Gen. xxvii. 24. Fear not, I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy feed, for my fervant Abraham's fake. Mofes, pleading in behalf of the Ifraelites, fays, Exod. xxxii. 13. Remember Abraham, and Ifaac, and Ifrael, thy fervants. Deut. xix. 27. Remember thy Servants, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Look not to the stubbornness of this people, nor to their fin. There are many other paffages to the fame purpose with these.

It must also be observed, that in the name of Christ, which occurs in fome of the abovementioned paffages, means as Chrift, or in the place of Chrift. Thus our Lord fays, Many fhall come in my name, that is, pretending

tending to be what I am, the Meffiah; and again, the comforter, whom the Father. fhall fend in my name, that is, in my place, as it were, to fucceed me in his kind offices to you. Praying, therefore, in the name of Christ may mean, in allufion to this fenfe of it, praying with the temper and disposition of Chrift, or as becomes chriftians, those who follow the directions of Chrift, both with refpect to prayer, and every other duty of the chriftian life. So alfo being juftified in the name of Chrift may fignify our being juftified, or approved of God, in confequence of our being chriftians, in deed and in truth, having the fame mind that was alfo in Chrift Jefus. Agreeably to this, the apostle Paul exhorts us to put en Christ, as if it were to appear like him, the very fame perfon.

If the pardon of fin had univerfally depended upon the advocateship of Chrift only, it can hardly be fuppofed that the spirit would have had that name given to him, and especially by way of eminence, and distinction; for the word which we render comforter is the fame that is rendered advocate in I John ii. 1. We have an advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous. The spirit is also said to intercede for us, Rom. viii. 26. The fpirit itself maketh interceffion for us.

Befides, the paffages in which any-regard is fuppofed to be had to the merit or interceffion of Chrift, in difpenfing mercy to finners, are exceedingly few,

in comparison with those which represent this free gift, as proceeding from God only; and in fome of them we are misled by our tranflation, as in Eph. iv. 39. And be ye kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Chrift's fake, has freely forgiven you. It ought to have been rendered as God in Chrift,

that is, in the gospel of Befides, the word which

Chrift, has forgiven you. is here rendered forgive signifies conferring favours in general, and not the forgiveness of fin in particular; and the whole paffage was intended to inculcate a benevolent difpofition, in imitation of God, who had conferred the most valuable favours upon mankind, in the gospel of Christ.

Many paffages in which we are faid to be justified by faith, and not by the works of the law, were intended to oppose the doctrine of the jews, who maintained that the obfervance of the law of Mofes was abfolutely neceffary to falvation. Writing upon this fubject, the apostle Paul expreffes himfelf in the following manner, Rom. iii. 21, &c. But now the righteousness of God, without the law, is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jefus Chrift, unto all and upon all that believe, for there is no difference. For all have finned, and come fhort of the glory of God, being juftified freely by bis grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God has fet forth to be a propitiation, through