Suzy, and spirit, weupe, for saith he, The spirit, indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Nothing however could weaken the confidence of Christ in the promise of the Father. His religion did not begin to fail him. His mind was strong in the Lord. He had clear views of the end for which he came into the world. The communion between him his heavenly Father was not interrupted. He did not need an angel to strengthen his confidence in God, by preaching religion to him, by calling upon him to trust in God. Neither did he need an angel to strengthen him against the fire of divine wrath, which some say, was poured down upon him from the immediate hand of God. But an angel was sent to strengthen him against the strength of his strong enemy, and all the fiery darts of the power of darkness.

The Son of God did not "espouse the cause of sin ners in such a sense as to take the wrath and curse of his righteous Father upon himself, which was due to the wicked. Christ will however save his people from the wrath to come, "for he ever liveth to make intercession for them:" but not because he has borne, in their room and stead, that wrath and curse of God which they deserved to bear. Jesus will never cast out any who come unto him. Salvation is near to those who obey the Gospel. Nothing can separate them from the love of God. It is not, however, because the displeasure of God against sin, "has been exhibited to equal advantage as it would be in their eternal damnation:" but because, Christ having completed the work of redemption by obedience unto death, even the death of the cross, a door of mercy is opened to fallen man; and whosoever will, may come and receive the water of life freely: this renders the flesh of the Son of man meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed.

If the blood of Christ had not been shed upon the cross, that is if Christ had not been obedient unto the death of the cross, it would not have opened a door of salvation; and, if his heel had not been bruised by

the serpent and his seed, according to the prediction, there would not have been a way consecrated for us through his flesh into the holy of holies. "Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the vail, that is, his flesh; and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."*

Heb. x, 19-22.

SERMON XXVII.

CHRIST'S CONQUEST OVER SATAN, A DOOR OF

HOPE.

REVELATION Xix, 16.

And he hath on his vesture, and on his thigh, a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

IMPROVEMENT BY INFERENCES.

1st INFERENCE.

ALL Christian people are agreed, that atonement is the only foundation of hope: that is, if the Seed of the woman had not bruised the serpent's head, no man could be raised from the gulph into which he was plunged by the apostasy. Different authors, however, on the subject, express different sentiments. A certain respectable writer, having given a general view of his sentiments respecting the atonement of Christ, proceeds to illustrate his idea of it, by what he calls a story. The subject under consideration leads me to remark on this author's illustration.

"Benvolus," saith he, "sustained the best and most worthy character of any man in the kingdom. His wife was publicly guilty of a crime, for which the law of the state denounced a punishment, which she could not suffer and survive; but it must prove fatal to her, if inflicted on her. The law was so good and important, that if the penalty were not inflicted, and the law were disregarded in favour of the criminal, the consequence would be most fatal to the kingdom, and sap the foundation of all authority, law and government, and introduce endless confusion and misery.

The husband saw all this, and would rather his wife should suffer the utmost extremity of the law, than that good government should be disobeyed, or the law disregarded, which he loved, and wished to be maintained. He loved his wife so much, that he was willing to suffer the penalty of the law himself, if she might by this means escape it. He knew that he was able to go through this suffering, however dreadful, and survive it; and that his doing this in the sight of the whole kingdom, would do more honour to the law, and the government be better established and maintained, than if his wife should suffer as she deserved. He therefore, stepped forward, and offered, and desired to take the evil upon himself, and suffer the penalty of the law in the room of his wife, and for her crime. His offer was accepted, and he suffered the whole, without the least mitigation.

"All the inhabitants and good subjects in the king. dom, looked on and had not a thought of any injustice done to him, who offered to suffer for his wife; and did actually suffer the evil which she deserved. They saw and admired his benevolence and goodness to his wife, and his disposition and zeal to maintain the law and government. They beheld, and were highly pleased with the uprightness, rectitude and righteousness of their king, and his fixed determination to maintain his law, while he inflicted the penalty of it on a person whom he esteemed and loved above all others in his kingdom, when he stood in the place of the transgressor: And a greater discovery was made of this, and his high displeasure at rebellion, than if the criminal herself had been punished. They were struck with the propriety, righteousness, wisdom and goodness exercised and manifested in the whole affair, and ever after a more clear apprehension, and greater sense of the soundness, importance, and excellence of the law, and of the unreasonableness and magnitude of the crime of transgressing it; and loved and revered

their king, and his law and government, more than they ever had done before.

"The husband and wife were unspeakably more happy in each other, than they were before, or than they could have been, had not all this taken place. Their mutual love was stronger and more sweet and happy. She saw more of his worthiness, excellence and love, than she could otherwise have done, and was most happy and swallowed up in the sweetest gratitude, and the most endearing affection, which knew no bounds nor end."

Let us now proceed to the proposed remarks; the object of which is to call the attention of the reader, seriously and candidly to consider whether the above story doth properly illustrate the Bible doctrine of atonement. It appears to me that it doth not; and my reasons are the following:

1. Although the benevolent husband offered to suffer for his wife, yet he did not offer to die for her. She had committed a crime, the punishment of which, had it been inflicted upon her, would have terminated in death: "for, the punishment to be inflicted upon her, she could not suffer and survive it." But the husband "knew that he was able to go through this suffering, however dreadful, and survive it." Now, would the husband have offered to suffer in the room of his wife, had he known that he could not have survived? If not, he did not offer to die for his wife. "Skin for skin, all that a man hath will he give for his life." Accordingly, there is no evidence that the husband would have died for his wife. But Christ died for sinners: he was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. And if the husband would not have died for his wife, how then is the scheme illustrated? And on the other hand, if he had died for her, it would leave the author's scheme of atonement, as it appears to me, in great difficulty still: For the illustration supposes, that the husband was the best man in the kingdom: And shall one of the best men in the