And further, in the institution of the Rites of Sacrifice, instructs us in the means employed for the recovery ; means peculiar, and properly adapted, to the nature of a free gift.

We have already given, and shall further explain and justify, those means (namely, the VICARIOUS ATONEMENT, in the SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS, with its dependencies), on the grounds of Natural Reason and Religion.

To free, therefore, the vicarious atonements, in the Mosaic Sacrifices, from this Objection of our PHILOSOPHERS, it will be sufficient to observe these two things:

1. First, that the Mosaic Sacrifices were TYPES (and by both the Dispensations of the Law and Gospel declared to be so) of the great vicarious Sacrifice of the Cross: So that the justification of their use depends on their Prototype; whose conformity to right reason and equity will be shewn.

2. But then, in the second place, as these Types had a MORAL IMPORT*, that is, bore a temporal sense likewise, having a relation to the peculiar benefits enjoyed under a THEOCRACY, and so, of consequence, were not Types merely and solely of things to come, and to be transacted in another System, it will be necessary, in order to their full justification against the objections of our adversaries, to shew, that the peculiar benefits given by the LAW were of the nature of a FREE GIFT, like that of immortality, which was first bestowed on, and soon after lost by Adam in Paradise, and recovered by Jesus Christ in the Gospel. Between which two Dispensations the LAW came in (as an intermediate Revelation), and the benefits peculiar to the LAW (namely, extraordinary temporal blessings) were so far of the nature of the FREE GIFT of immortality (their prototype), as to make the MEANS of reconciliation for the violated condition attendant on such a Gift, different from what is required for the transgressions which natural Religion condemns.

Thus have we put a fair end to this formidable objection, conceived in ignorance, and brought forth in iniquity.

* See these terms explained in the 6th Book, p. 33, et seq. of this volume.

But

. But this is not all. The sacred Volume, which contains the Principles whereon vicarious atonements are justified, under the Mosaic Law, at the same time instructs us, that, by the LAW OF NATURE, a vicarious atonement by sacrifice is superstitious and absurd.

.

Moses, in pity of his People (whose idolatry, during his short absence, had so incensed the God of Israel, as to make it apprehended, by their Leader, that they would be totally abandoned, if not instantly destroyed), transported with the patriot passion, and misled by the Principles he had brought from Egypt, concerning VICARIOUS DEVOTEMENTS, thus addresses the Lord:-Yet now, if thou wilt, forgive their sins: and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy Book which thou hast written. To this the God of Israel replies (but on the principles of his own prior Law, the LAW OF NATURE; the Ritual Law being already planned, indeed, but not given and received),- "WHOEVER HATH SINNED AGAINST ME, HIM will I blot out of my book." As much as to say, "The Law of Nature allows not of vicarious atone<< ments; but ordains, that the man who transgresseth "shall himself bear the punishment of his iniquity; a

punishment which no man deserves for the faults of "another, unless he be partaker of the guilt, by joining "in the transgression."

But self-love, aided by superstition, made men seek for pardon of their own Sins in the sufferings of others. When God gave the Law of Nature, he did not permit his Creatures to change the means he had ordained for pardon and reconciliation. But when he ordained the Mosaic Law, by which many benefits of mere grace, as well as others of Debt, were bestowed, he might, for breaches in the condition annexed to those of mere grace, well and equitably make the terms of pardon different from those he had before established for breaches in the condition annexed to those of Debt.

Thus we see how REVELATION triumphs; while every attack upon it produceth, in some new discovery of the amazing Wisdom in the various parts of the Dispensation, some further evidence of its Truth and Divinity. We have shewn with what superior sagacity, as well as

* Exod. xxx. 32, 33.

indulgence,

indulgence, many harmless practices of Gentilism were introduced into the Mosaic Ritual. But to manifest to the World what use divine Wisdom can make even of the worst rubbish of Paganism, VICARIOUS SACRIFICES condemned by the Law of Nature, as absurd and superstitious, it changed, when brought into the Mosaic Ritual, their very nature; and, in that revealed System, made them provisionary and reasonable.

And now, again, to proceed. A deep-rooted Superstition is always spreading wide and more wide. When men, thus labouring under this evil, had (in order to give themselves ease) gone so far as to indulge the fancy of a vicarious Sacrifice, it was natural for them, to think of enhancing so cheap an atonement by the cost and rarity of the offering. And oppressed with their malady, they never rested till they had got to that which they conceived to be the most precious of all, A HUMAN SACRIFICE. Nay, to accumulate the merit of the service by bringing it still nearer home, the madness did not cease to rage till it terminated in INFANTICIDE, or in offering up to their grim idols (instead of themselves) the CHILDREN of their bowels. We learn from Sanchoniathon, in that inestimable fragment of Antiquity, translated by Philobiblius, that what is here collected from the natural course of things, is realized by fact. It was customary in ancient times (says the fragment) in great and public calamities, before things became incurable, for Princes and Magistrates to offer up in sacrifice to the avengingi Demons, the dearest of their Offsping*. Under the fanatic fury of the high efficacy of this atonement, we need not wonder that the strongest instincts of Nature should be subdued, and even their very impressions effaced in this horrid sacrifice, when we reflect that mere civil custom, to avoid only a probable, nay, but a possible, inconvenience, was, in those early times, of force enough to erase, even out of the best cultivated minds, the innate love of Parents for their Children, and to introduce a general practice of exposing them, at their birth, to almost

*

Apud Euseb. Præp. Evang. 1. iv. p. 158,-100s v Tois warasois, ir ταῖς μεγάλαις συμφοραῖς τῶν κινδύνων, ἄλι τῆς πάνιων φθορὰς τὸν ἠγαπημενὸν τῶν τέκνων τοὺς κρατῶντας ἢ πόλεως ἢ ἔθνος, εἰς σφαγὴν ἐπιδιδόναι λύτρον τοῖς τιμωροῖς δαίμοσι, κατεσφάττοντο δὲ οἱ διδόμενοι μυσικώς.

inevitable

inevitable destruction. What power then must this magic of custom acquire, when joined to dire Superstition, under the horror of approaching vengeance, to dispose the terrified Supplicant to offer up his own kind to avert it; nay, to make all sure, his own offspring, not only with indifference, but with alacrity.

This seems to have been the true original of HUMAN SACRIFICE: An infernal practice, which soon overspread the World, barbarous and civil. For that LOVE and FEAR of God, implanted in our Nature to improve and perfect HUMANITY, do, when become degenerate by fanatic and servile passions, make as speedy a progress in dishonouring and debasing it.

From this HISTORY of the origin, use, and abuse of SACRIFICE, thus delivered, on the principles of Nature and Reason, and verified by Fact, I have deduced, and, with the fullest evidence, established the following truths,

1. First, That the mode of Religious Worship by SACRIFICE, is in itself, A REASONABLE SERVICE.

2. Secondly, That Sacrifice for sin was a fit atonement, and reasonably required in the Dispensations both of natural and revealed Religion, as a proper means of reconciling sinful man to his offended Master.

3. Thirdly, That this species of it, which is most open to objection, the VICARIOUS SACRIFICE, is founded in Reason, when directed to the Mosaic and Christian Systems; how abusive and absurd soever, when practised in the offices of Paganism.

TION.

Nothing but this history of Sacrifice could lay_open the way to these Truths: And nothing but these Truths could let us into the true System of GOSPEL REDEMPFor till it was shewn that a VICARIOUS ATONEMENT, a thing of the essence of this System, is consonant to our most rational ideas of the divine attributes; it might be thought, by those who only saw the abuse, and were ignorant of the genuine use of vicarious atonement, that our proving the death of Christ to be a REAL SACRIFICE, was only adding one embarrass more in the road of Revelation, instead of removing (as was my intention) a great many that ignorance hath laid ac.oss it.

* See note [G] at the end of this Book.

But

But having now obviated the SoCINIAN objection to this species of Sacrifice, we may proceed without further impediment to establish this capital Principle of the Christian Faith, THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS FOR THE REDEMPTION OF MANKIND.

1. Which will be done, first of all, by shewing that the precious death upon the Cross was, for many ages, prefigured, and, in a scenical manner, foretold by the SACRIFICES OF THE LAW; and more particularly and circumstantially by those Sacrifices called PIACULAR and

VICARIOUS.

2. And secondly, by shewing that this DEATH was kept in perpetual memory under the Christian Dispensation, by a SACRED RITE, instituted by the Divine Victim himself, on his going to be offered; this Rite being (to speak properly) nothing but, nor other than, A FEAST UPON A SACRIFICE.

I. All Christian Churches, even the Socinian, agree in this, that the Sacrifices of the Jewish Law served, amongst other uses, for TYPES of the death of Christ, particularly those Sacrifices called vicarious, piacular, and expiatory. Of which, some prefigured one part of that tremendous transaction, and some another. The victim burnt without the Camp foretold his sufferings without the City--The blood sprinkled in the Sanctum Sanctorum by the High Priest, on the day of expiation, prefigured our entrance into heaven, whither Christ prepared the way for us by his blood-The sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb, which was both piacular and eucharistical, proclaimed the innocence of our Redeemer, and the universal benefit of his blood to Mankind.

To set this matter in the clearest light-As to the simple rite of SACRIFICE, this was not peculiar to Judaism. It was in use, as we have shewn, from the beginning. Nature dictated this Symbol to all her Children: It being nothing else than a species of Worship, in action instead of words; so that sacrifice and religious worship were correlative and coeval ideas. The particular thing which Moses indulged to his people, for the hardness of their hearts, was that multifarious Ritual, of which, indeed, Sacrifice makes a capital part.

Amongst