"open "X" was a sinner, & his sin was of the greated m lignity! To not this an antinomian blasphemy 54 an THOUGHTS ON THE transgressions and bruised for my iniquities-if way The in which Christ was to justify many, was by bearing their iniquities: but if he did not endure in a way of punishment all that these iniquities deserved, with what propriety can his bearing them be assigned as a ground of justification? Sin is sin wherever it is found-whether on the sinner himself, or on his substitute. Its being transmitted to the substitute does not -lessen its malignity, nor render punishment less necessary. The sanction of the divine law is irreversible; it will have its course. Punishment, in either case, is not an act of sovereignty but of justice; what ever blessed God, as Rector of the world, cannot but inflict; and it is in the infliction of this punishment on Christ, as the substitute of sinners, that he is manifested to be the just God and the Saviour. 'When Jesus became the surety of his people, he engaged, says Mr. Archibald Hall, to fulfil all righteousness in their stead, and to make an ade quate satisfaction for all their transgressions. He did not undertake to see their debt paid, and satisfaction made, by some means or other; as bondsmen commonly bind themselves for their friends in joint securities, in order to strengthen their credit; always presuming that these bonds will be discharged, in whole, or in the greatest part, by the debtors themselves. No; he took the whole debt, and the whole guilt, of his lost sheep upon himself alone. On this ground, he became a debtor to do the whole law, and to fulfil all that righteousness it could demand from them, both as they were reasonable creatures, and as they were become obnoxious criminals. Hence their iniquity itself was laid upon him, by God the judge of all; and he was regarded by his holy Father, as justly chargeable with all their iniquity and transgression and sin: not that ue he perpetrated the criminal facts, but only became responsible at the bar of God for the malignity and guilt of their old man, and of all its ungodly deeds, These were set to his account in law reckoning, and laid upon him as their Representative. A consideration which at once clears the Son of God from being deemed a personal Correct transgressor of the law, and vindicates the justice of the Lord in bruising him, and making his soul an offering for sin.' Though innumerable multitudes of rebelis are pardoned, says President Davis, yet not one of them is pardoned until their rebellion is punished according to its demerit in the person of the Surety. The precept of the law which they had broken was perfectly obeyed; the penalty which they had incurred was fully endured, not by themselves indeed, but by one that presented himself in their place: so that the law is magnified and made honourable, and the rights of government are preserved sacred and inviolable, and yet the prisoners of Justice are set free, and advanced to the highest honours and blessedness.' It was my intention to have made a few remarks on what has been denominated, The redundancy of Christ's merit; but as I have already exceeded the limits I at first intended, these remarks must be deferred to another opportunity. I am sincerely yours. LETTER II. See God descending in thy human frame, And all his righteousness devolv'd on thee. DRYDEN. AGREEABLY to my promise, I sit down to transmit you my thoughts on the subject mentioned in my last.-I know it has been said, That though our blessed Lord died intentionally for the elect only, there is nevertheless a redundancy of merit in his death sufficient for the redemption of all men. This I considered as a mistake. That our divine Jesus could have redeemed ten thousand worlds, if, in the everlasting covenant, he had been constituted the federal head, and had become the surety of these worlds, is cheerfully granted. But circumstanced as things now are, and ever have been, by the determinate rother counsel of heaven; his precious blood, as an will atonement, can be of no avail, it is presumed, except for those persons who were given to him by the Father; for whom he voluntarily laid down his life, and concerning whom he will say at the last day, Here am I, and the children which thou hast given me!' 'Redemption by Jesus Christ, says the venerable Booth, cannot, I conceive, be justly considered as either more or less extensive than his voluntary substitution; or than the number of persons for whom he performed that vicarious work which was finished on the cross. If, in his perfect obedience and penal death, he acted and suffered as the substitute of all mankind, they are all redeemed: but if, as the representative of the elect only, redemption must be considered as exclusively theirs. For, to imagine that the death of Christ, as the price of deliverance from the curse of the law, redeemed any for whom, as a substitute, he did not suffer; and to suppose that any of those for whom, as a surety, he sustained the penalty of death, are |