This idea may explain 2 Cor. v. 21. He made him fin for us who knew no fin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him; because by fin in this place may perhaps be understood a' sin-offering. Or it may correfpond to Rom. viii. 3. What the law could not do, in that it was weak, through the flesh, God fending his own fon in the likeness of finful flesh, and for fin fon account of fin, or on the bufinefs of fin, i. e. to destroy and take it away) condemned fin in the ficfb. In this cafe, the sense of the paffage will be, that Christ was made, not fin, but in the likeness of finful flesh, that is, he was made a man for our fakes.

Many perfons are carried away by the found of the word redemption, as if it neceffarily implied that, mankind being in a state of bondage, a price must be paid for their freedom, and that the death of Chrift: was that price. But the word which we render redemption fignifies only deliverance in general, in whatever manner it be effected, and it is frequently fo rendered by our tranflators. Belonging to this clafs of texts are the following, Matt. xx. 28. Mark x. 45. The fon of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 1 Tim. ii. 8. Who gave himself

a ransom for all.

In order to judge of the meaning of this expreffion, let the preceding paffages be compared with the following, in which the fame Greek word is

ufed,

ufed, Luke xxiv. 21. We trufled that it had been he who fhould have delivered, or (as it might have been translated) redeemed Ifrael. In this cafe, the difciples certainly meant a deliverance, or redemption, from a state of subjection to the Romans, which they could not suppose was to be effected by purchase, but by the exertion of wisdom and power. Luke i. 68. He has vifited, and redeemed his people; which is explained in ver. 71, by a deliverance from our enemies, and from the hands of all that hate us. In Acts vii. 35. Stephen ftiles Moses a ruler and deliverer, or redeemer, but what price did he pay for their redemption? In the Old Testament also God is frequently faid to have redeemed Ifrael from the hand of the Egyptians; but he certainly did not redeem them by paying any price for their redemption, and much less by becoming a bondman in their place, but, as it is often expressed, he redeemed or delivered them, with an high hand and an outstretched arm. So alfo may Chrift be faid to redeem, or deliver from fin, viz. by his precepts, by his example, and by the precious promises of his gofpel; by the confideration of which we are induced to forfake fin.

Strefs has been laid upon the word for in the above-mentioned paffages, as if Chrift dying a ranfom for all neceffarily, implied that he died in the ftead, or in the place, of all; but the fame word has other fignifications, as because, and so it is ren

dered

dered Luke i. 20.

Because thou haft not believed my

word. Heb. xii. 2. Who for, or because of the joy that was set before him. It also fignifies on the behalf, or on the account of, as Mat, xvii. 27. That take, and give them for thee and me, that is, on the account of, not inftead of me and thee. So Chrift died, and gave his life a ransom, not instead of many, but on the behalf of many, or for their benefit.

Much ftrefs has also been laid on Christ being faid to bear the fins of mankind; as if they had been ascribed or imputed to him, and he had taken them upon himself, and suffered the wrath of God for them. If. liii. 11. He fhall bear their iniquities. 1 Pet. ii. 24. Who his own felf bare our fins in his own body, on the tree. Heb. ix. 28. So Chrift once fuffered, to bear the fins of many.

Thefe, I think, are all the places in which this particular view of the death of Chrift occurs. But befide the manifeft injustice, and indeed abfurdity, of an innocent person being punished for one that is guilty, the word does not fignify to bear or take upon another, but to bear away, or to remove, by whatever means; fo that the texts above-mentioned correfpond to, 1 John iii. 5, 6. And ye know that he was manifeft to take away fin, and in him was no fin.

The phrafe bearing fin is never applied in the Old Teftament, but to the scape-goat, which was not facrificed, but turned loose in the wilderness, to fignify

fignify the removal of the fins of the people, which God had freely forgiven, to a place where they fhould never more be heard of.. The goat itself, which was emblematically said to bear their fins, fuffered nothing in confequence of it; but, as its name imports, was fuffered to escape, or was let loose. Perhaps the fending away of the scape-goat was intended for a monitory fign to the people, that they should cease to commit those fins which had been fo folemnly confeffed over him, and which he was faid to bear away into a land of feparation. See Levit. xvi. 22. in the margin.

The evangelift Matthew had, most evidently, this idea of the meaning of the paffage in Isaiah, when he applied it upon the occafion of Chrift's healing the bodily difeafes of men, viii. 17. For he fays that he performed these cures, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our ficknesses. Now how did Chrift bear the bodily diseases which he cured? Not, furely, by taking them upon hitself, and becoming diseased, as the poor wretches themselves had been; but by removing them by his miraculous power. In like manner Christ bears, or takes away fin in general; not by suffering himfelf to be treated as a finner, but removing it, by the doctrines and motives of his gospel.Agreeably to this, when Peter had faid, Who his own felf bare our fins in his own body on the tree, he explains his meaning

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 curse of the law, being made a curfe 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 curse, because 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 cafe 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 fays, For this reafon does my Father love me, because I lay down my life and it is a general observation in the fcriptures, that precious in the fight of God is the death of his faints.

Chrift is called a Paffover in 1 Cor. v. 7. Chrift our Paffover is facrificed for us: and this view is alfo alluded to when it is faid, a bone of him shall 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 justified 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 scripture

names,