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Mat. 20. 28.

11.

3.

18, 19.

forgive the Sins of all thofe that fincerely repent and believe, and to make them Partakers of eternal Life.

Q. But this being Matter of Revelation, what Scripture proves this important Article?

A. St. Matthew tells us, that the Son of Man came not to be miniftered unto, but to minister, 26. 28. and give bis Life a Ranfom for many. That bis Blood is fed for many, for the Remiffion of Sins. John 10. In St. John our Saviour is called the good Shepherd that lays down his Life for the Sheep. Rom.5.6. St. Paul delivers this Doctrine clearly in most 1 Cor. 15 of his Epiftles; that in due Time Christ died Heb. z. q.for the Ungodly; that he died for our Sins, according to the Scriptures; that by the Grace of God be bould taste Death for every Man. Particularly in the Ninth of the Hebrews, this Pet. 1. Matter is largely treated of. St. Peter says, that we are not redeemed with corruptible Things, 1 John 2. &c. but with the precious Blood of Christ. St. John, that Jefus Christ is the Propitiation for aur Sins; and not for ours only, but for the Sins John 3. of the whole World. Hereby perceive we the Love of God, because he laid down his Life for us. Rev. 5.9. Thou wast flain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy Blood, out of every Kindred and Tongue, and People and Nation. Many other Proofs might be brought; but thefe Texts make the Reafon of our Saviour's Death plain and evident; and they that can evade the Force of them, may, by the like Evasions, overthrow any other Principle of Religion, plainly laid down in the Scriptures.

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16.

1

Q. But is it just for an innocent Perfon to fuffer for the Guilty?

A. If the Party offended be willing to accept

of

of the Commutation, and the Party that fuffers doth it voluntarily, there can be no Injustice that one fhould fuffer in another's ftead, and make Satisfaction for the Crimes and Faults another hath committed; because the innocent Perfon, having a free Difpofal of himself, may freely offer his own Life or Liberty in Exchange for the forfeited Life of another, and the Judge, if he thinks fit, may accept it. This is an Act of great heroical Goodness, which though Justice cannot require to be done, yet it is no ways contrary to the Rules of Juftice to perform it. Befides, if it were unjuft that an innocent Perfon fhould fuffer for the Guilty, the very Notion of a Sacrifice would be quite destroyed; which requires, that the Innocent fhould fuffer for the Guilty. The Perfection that was expected in the Beasts that were fet apart for Sacrifice, and their fuffering for thofe Sins they never committed, nor were ever capable of committing, fufficiently fignifies what Innocence was required in a Sacrifice; and if the Sacrifices of Beafts were Types of any other meritorious Sacrifice, they muft prefigure the Death and Sacrifice of a moft innocent Perfon, of that Lamb of God without Blemish, and without Spot.

Q. How doth it appear that the promised Meffiah was thus to fuffer?

A. The Prophet Ifaiah reprefents the Meffias that was to come, as a Man of Sorrows, Chap. 53. and acquainted with Grief, oppreffed and afflicted, wounded and bruifed, brought to the Slaughter, and cut off out of the Land of the Living. That he was numbered with the Tranfgreffors. And that the Meffias is treated of in this Chapter, appears not only from the genuine Senfe of the

Place

12.

12. 10.

Pfal. 22.

16.

Place, but from the Confeffion of the most ancient Jews. The Prophet Zachary foretels the Price for which he was to be betrayed; Thirty Zach. 11. Pieces of Silver. And that they should look on bim whom they pierced. The Prophet David more particularly, That they should pierce his Hands and bis Feet. Which Predictions agree with the hiftorical Account we have in the Evangelifts, of the Sufferings of the Blessed Jefus; who did conftantly inftruct his Apostles in this Truth, not only that they might expect it, but that they might be thereby confirmed that he was the true Meffias. And St. Paul makes it a Part of his Preaching, that Chrift must needs bave fuffered.

A&. 17.3.

Ex. 12.3.

9.

22.

Levit. 16.

Q. How was the Sacrifice of our Saviour typified under the Law?

A. Mofes, in the Inftitution of the Paffover, where the Pafchal Lamb was to be flain, pointed at the Lamb Jain before the Foundations of the Num. 21. World. When the Brazen Serpent was fet up in the Wilderness, it declared that the Son of Man fhould be lifted up upon the Crofs. All Heb. 9. the Sacrifices for Sin proclaimed, that without Effufion of Blood there was no Remiffion. But the great Type was the Day of Expiation and Atonement, enjoined by God under a great Penalty, and obferved with a proportionable Exactness, both by the High-Prieft and the People. It was on this Day alone the High-Priest went by himself into the Holy of Holies; and befides the Propitiation he was to make for himself and his Houfe; he made an Atonement for the People by two Kids of the Goats for a SinOffering, which he prefented before the Lord at the Door of the Tabernacle; where, by Lots, was

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determined which was to be offered, and which was to be the Scape-Goat; with the Blood of that which was offered he fprinkled the Mercy-feat; on the other he laid both his Hands, and confeffed over him the Sins of the People, putting them upon the Head of the Goat, and fent him away by the Hand of a fit Man into the Wilderness. And thus the Apostle, in his Epiftle to the Hebrews, reprefents our Saviour Heb.2.17. to have been our High-Prieft, and on his Paffion49. 26, 28. Day to have offered the Sacrifice of himself, tỏ have borne our Sins in his own Body, and with his own Blood to have entered into the Holy Place not made with Hands, and to have appeared as before the Mercy-Seat in the Prefence of God for

us.

Q. How was this Day of Atonement observed among the People?

A. While the Expiation was making in the Temple at Jerufalem, the Jews, wherever they refided, fafted the whole Day, and afflicted their Souls from Evening to Evening; and whatever Lev. 23. Soul it was that was not afflicted in that fame 29, 32. Day, be fhould be cut off from among his People. And this Affliction of their Souls was not only by Fafting, but by all other Demonftrations of Grief, and Abhorrence of their Sins. They watched moft Part of the preceding Night, which they spent in Prayer; early before Sunrifing they met in their Synagogues, and paffed Buxt. Syn. the Day in publick Exercises of Devotion; they Jud. c.25. were difmiffed with the folemn Benediction of the Priests who were prefent. And except the Day was employed after this Manner, they were not to expect any Benefit from the Sacrifice which was then offered.

Concil.
Tolet. 4.

c. 6, 7.

Q. Did the Practice of any Chriftians upon Good-Friday bear any Conformity with that of the Jews upon their Day of Atonement ?

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A. In the Western Church, on Good-Friday, the holy Priests made our Saviour's Sufferings the Subject of their Difcourfes to the People, whom they inftructed on that Occafion in the Mysteries of our Redemption; and all the People, except fuch as were excufed by Age or Sickness, were bound to fast the whole Day, till the Priest, towards Evening, with a loud Voice, did proclaim publick Abfolution; and this upon the Penalty of being excluded from the Lord's Table at Ea Ster. The Defign wherof was, that by this outward Teftimony of their true Repentance for their Sins, and by the Benefit of Priestly Abfolution, they might be the better fitted to folemnize the Grand Festival of our Saviour's Refurrection, and to eat the Christian Palover..

Q. But our Meffias being God as well as Man, bow could be fuffer, Jince the Divine Nature is not fubject to any Senfe of Mifery?

4. Our Bleffed Saviour fuffered only in his hu man Nature, that Nature of Man which he took upon him; but fince it was united to the Divine Nature, and that there was a moft intimate Conjunction of both Natures in the Perfon of the Son, there did from thence refult a true proper Communication of Names, Characters, and Properties; fo that the very eternal Son of God may rightly be faid to have fuffered whatfoever the Man Christ Jefus endured in the Flesh for Sinners, because the Properties of each Nature separated may reasonably be affirmed of that Perfon in whom the two Natures are united,

Q. What may we learn from the Commemoration of Chrift's Sufferings? A. The

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