Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up, or sacrificing, of the Gentiles might be acceptable, &c. Hence it appears, that Jewish offerings, and sacrifices had respect to self-dedication; otherwise, the apostle could not have used them to signify his presenting the Gentiles to God. See Isa. Ixvi. 20. They shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord. Blood spilt in God's service, is also called a sacrifice, Phil. ii. 17, Yea and if I be of fered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith. Where likewise the service of faith, or faithful service to the interest of God, comes under the same notion. Agreeably to this, the souls of them, who were slain for the word of God, are represented to be under the altar, Rev. vi. 9, 10, the very place where the blood or soul, of the sac rifice was poured out, Lev. iv. 7, 18, 25, 30.*

* That the altar, under which St. John saw the souls of the martyrs, Rev. vi. 9, was the great altar of sacrifice in the court of the temple, must surely be allowed: for the blood, lives, or souls, of the sacrifices was poured out under no other altar but that. And though the whole scene of this, and the other visions, might be in the sanctuary ; and though St. John might have his face towards that and his back towards the great altar in the court behind him; yet

he solemnly expressed his gratitude or repentance; consecrated his life and all his powers and enjoyments to the honour of God; and was assured of the divine favour, while he continued true to his religious engagements.

27. Thus also we may form an idea of the effect that sacrifices had with God. Which cannot well be conceived to be any other than that of prayer and praise, or other expressions of our religious regards; which are pleasing to God, as they proceed from, or produce, good affections in us. Therefore as it is said, that Cornelius' prayers and alms came up for a memorial before God; and that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man, availeth much; it may in the same sense be said, that the worthy sacrifices of righteous men came up before God. and availed much. But,

28. Secondly, to what did they avail? Or what effect had they with reference to the persons, by whom they were offered? Ans. They were effectual to obtain the blessings desired. Particularly, sin-offerings or piacular sacrifices (to which we shall now wholly confine our inquiries) were available to the forgiveness of sin.

For it is often repeated in Lev. iv, v, vi, chapters, and the priest shall make atonement for him, or them, or for the sin, and it shall be forgiven. Now, taking the sacrifice as a penitent address to God, this may be accounted for in the same manner as all other declarations of forgiveness to those who repent. And to me it seems sufficiently to account for the efficacy of piacular sacrifices, that, in the sight of God, and with regard to his acceptance, the priest made atonement for sin, by sacrificing a beast, only as that was a sign and testimony of the sacrificer's pure and upright heart; or of that pious disposition, which the religious shedding of blood, and other sacrificial rites suggested to him.

CHAPTER III.

OF TRANSFERRING OF GUILT AND BEARING OF SIN.

29. BUT others think differently upon this subject. They suppose, that the guilt of the offender was transferred to, or laid upon the sacrifice; and that this was signified by the sacrificer's laying his hand upon the head

of it, as in the case of the scape goat; which therefore is said to bear upon him all the iniquities of the children of Israel. Hence it is concluded, that the sacrifice must be considered, as substituted in the place of the offender, and as dying in his stead; and so suffering a succedaneous, or vicarious punishment. And this is supposed to give us the true and proper notion of atonement; namely, the satisfying divine justice, by another's suffering the punishment, due to the criminal's sin, in his stead.

30. This opens a large field of examination, which I shall divide into four parts. 1. Transferring of guilt. 2. Bearing of sin. 3. Vicarious punishment, or substituting the sacrifice in the place of the offender. 4. The true notion of atonement.

31. I. It hath been commonly supposed that the sin of the offender, was transferred to the sacrifice. This is grounded upon Lev. xvi. 21. Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the chil dren of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat. And upon this single instance the notion must rest. For no where is any

sacrifice said to have sin put upon it, or to bear sin. Nor is there any foundation for the arguments taken from laying hands on the head of the sacrifice, or from the uncleanness. contracted by burning the sinofferings, [10, 11.] to prove, that sin was put upon such offerings. For hands were laid upon all sorts of sacrifices, as well as sin-offerings; [7.] and uncleanness, obliging persons to wash, was contracted by touching things where certainly no guilt was transferred, as creeping things, &c. Lev. xi. 23, 24. xv. 4-8.-xxii. 4, 5, 6. We have therefore neither instance, nor argument left to justify, in any sense, the sentiment of transferring sin, but this here of the high priest's putting the iniquities of the children of Israel upon the scape goat. And how did he put them? Common sense will not allow us to imagine, that sin, which can truly be imputed to the offender alone, whose alone it is, was ever really transferred to another; much less to a brute altogether uncapable of sin.

32. We must therefore conceive, that sin could be put upon the scape goat no otherwise than figuratively, or interpretatively; or so, as that the people might con