the things or persons redeemed were paid for, with a price. Hence St. Paul, speaking of our Redemption from the forfeiture of Adam, expresseth it by this Periphrasis, Ye are bought with a price*.

The price paid was the DEATH of the Son of God. Christ died for the ungodly, says he. And again, Christ died for our Sins-he died for all §-to obtain salvation, our Lord Jesus Christ died for us ||. On this account, and in allusion to the like transactions amongst Men, the Redeemer is called the LORD of those whom he redeemed-For to this end (says he) Christ both died and rose and revived, that he might be the LORD both of the dead and living **.

And now let us proceed to the nature of that DEATH which had the efficacy of REDEMPTION.

1. First, it must be VOLUNTARY-Hereby we perceive the love of God, because he laid down his life for us††, says St. John.-I lay down my life for the Sheep, (saith Jesus himself) no man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down; and I have power to take it again. This COMMANDMENT have I received of my Father. Here he represents the laying down his life as a power bestowed, in consequence of a Command received. And this will lead us to consider

2. The second requisite of a voluntary death efficacious of redemption; which is, that it must be OFFERED UP, in consequence of pre-ordained acceptance, called, in the text, a COMMAND. And what is a religious offering up to God, but a SACRIFICE?

In this sense (the proper sense of the word,) the holy Scriptures expressly call the death of Christ a SACRIFICE, St. Paul speaking (as is his wont) in the Language of the Law §§, says,-Christ our Passover is SACRIFICED for

§§ To this an objector may reply,-If St. Paul speaks in the Language of the Law, why is not the word Sacrifice part of that language, as well as Passover? And if so, says such a one, your argument from this text, in proof of a real Sacrifice, is enervated. To this I answer, the language of the law may extend to names without extending to things. It plainly does so, here. The word Passover VOL. VI.

T

us*. The Writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, who rarely speaks any other Language, says-Christ needeth not daily, as those high Priests, to offer up SACRIFICE, first for his own sins, and then for the People's; for this ke did once when he OFFERED UP HIMSELF. AgainChrist hath appeared to put away sin, by the SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF. And again-He was once OFFERED to bear the sins of many §.

But the virtue of expiatory Sacrifices consisted in procuring ATONEMENT, by some sort of SATISFACTION. And thus the expiatory Sacrifice of Christ on the Crossoperated for our REDEMPTION.

One could hardly have thought it possible, that any Man, who had read the Gospels, with their best Interpreters, the Authors of the Epistles, should ever have entertained a doubt, WHETHER THE DEATH OF CHRIST WAS A REAL SACRIFICE?

But mistaken notions, concerning the origin and nature of this sacred Rite, have so obscured the Rationale of it, that the SOCINIANS, who boast to have interpreted Scripture on the severest and justest. Laws of Logic and Criticism, have, in this instance, as well as in many others, deviated more from these Laws than the most licentious of the Allegorists, or the wildest of the Spiritualizers. Here, in their care to avoid an imaginary absurdity, they have fallen into a real one, and of the grossest kind, while they consider the death of Christ as nothing more than THE SEAL OF HIS MISSION.. For, ' were this all, so bloody an Impression might have been well spared; since the proper Seal of his Mission, or the evidence of his being SENT, were MIRACLES performed and PROPHECIES fulfilled. His DYING, if it were only in support of what he taught, could be nothing more than the seal of his Integrity.

But ignorance of the ORIGIN AND NATURE OF SACRIFICE hath misled these our Rationalists into the gross and semi-pagan errors concerning the Rite itsself. And

is language peculiar to the Law: the word SACRIFICE, though the language of the Law, is not peculiar to it, but in use throughout the whole religious World to denote a Rite, cominon, at that time, to all Men.

And therefore it will be expedient to give (though it may prove a work of some length and labour) an enlarged History of this whole matter.

AS SACRIFICE is almost coeval with the human Race, its nature and supposed effects depend on the knowledge of its Original; which is only to be found in the notions, habits, and customs of the first mortals..

The PRINCIPLE advanced in the fourth Section of the fourth Book of this work, together with the reasoning on that Principle concerning the ANCIENT MODE OF CONVERSE BY ACTION IN AID OF WORDS, will lead us (so prolific is that Principle, in laying open the most secret treasures of Antiquity) to the true rationale of this widely extended, and as widely mistaken, Rite of Sacrifice. This will shew, how the common sentiments of our Nature would draw the first Men into this mode of worship, whether the SACRIFICE was EUCHARISTICAL, PROPITIATORY, or EXPIATORY. Under one or other of these Classes, I suppose, all sorts of Sacrifice may be reasonably comprised. Though the Egyptians, we are told, extended the number to six hundred sixty and six. But their Sacrifices, like their Kings, were wantonly multiplied at pleasure, in defiance of time and truth, to fit the purpose of every fabling or designing Priest. For, the Sentiments which nature and reason excite in every pious breast towards the Author and Support of our Being, are simply these, Gratitude for good bestowed; Application to him for good sought or wanted; and Repentance for, and deprecation of, Crimes committed.

1. Gratitude gave birth to Eucharistical Sacrifice. And this duty was, in the most early times, discharged in EXPRESSIVE ACTION; the least epuivocal of which was, the Offerer's bringing the first fruits of Pasturage or Agriculture, to that sequestered place, where the Deity used to be more solemnly invoked, at the stated times of religious Worship; and there, presenting them in homage, with a demeanour which spoke to this purpose "I do hereby acknowledge thee, O my God! "to be the Author and giver of all good: and do now, "with humble gratitude, return my warmest thanks "for these thy blessings, particularly bestowed upon

me."

Things, thus devoted, became, from thenceforth, sacred. And to prevent their desecration, the readiest way was to send them to the Table of the Priest, or to consume them in the fire of the Altar.

2. The PROPITIATORY SACRIFICE was precatory, to implore success to their labours, in order to procure and improve to their use these common blessings of Providence; and deprecatory, to avert the evils due to the past abuse of such blessings. And in this species of Sacrifice, likewise, the oblation was so contrived as to be an Action equally expressive of an invocation for the continuance of God's favour; and for the remission of the Offerer's transgressions.

3. But it is the third Sort, the EXPIATORY SACRIFICE, which, by reason of the horrid abuses it early underwent, hath obscured the whole face of things: yet the luciferous Principle, here applied, to illustrate this whole matter, shews EXPIATORY SACRIFICE to be, in its nature, as intelligible, and in practice as rational, as either of the other two. Here, instead of presenting the first fruits of agriculture and pasturage, in corn, wine, oil and wool, as in the eucharistical, or a portion of what was to be sown or otherwise propagated, as in the propitiatory; some chosen Animal, precious to the repenting Criminal, who deprecates, or supposed to be obnoxious to the Deity, who is to be appeased, was offered up and slain at the Altar, in an Action, which, in all languages, when translated into words, speaks to this purpose," I con"fess my transgressions at thy footstool, O my God! "and, with the deepest contrition, implore thy pardon; "confessing that I deserve death for these my offences." -The latter part of the Confession was more forcibly expressed by the Action of striking the devoted animal, and depriving it of life; which, when put into words, concluded in this manner-" And I own that I myself "deserve the death which I now inflict on this Animal."

But here it will be proper to observe, that as crimes of a lighter complexion were atoned for, as well as deprecated in the propitiatory Sacrifice; so those of a deeper die could be only blotted out by the expiatory. This frequently brought into both the slaughter, or at least, the consecration of a devoted animal, by an action whicht spoke

.

spoke alike in each; but louder in the expiatory; while, in all the three, the action of Sacrifice still expressed a reasonable language..

But this system of Sacrifice, so well supported by what we know of plain and simple Nature, in its most early movements, is further realized by what Historians tell us was pronounced by the mouth of the Sacrificer himself; who frequently explained his own action by the words with which he accompanied it.

We learn from Antiquity, that when friendly or adverse States had entered into an alliance for mutual defence, or ended a war on mutual conditions, the League was solemnized by the two parties with the additional Sanction of a SACRIFICE, in its nature chiefly partaking of that species we call Propitiatory; to implore a blessing on the transaction.

The Historian, Livy, hath recorded the Ceremonies in use, in these Sorts of Sacrifice; where, speaking of a Treaty concluded between the Roman and Alban People, on certain conditions mutually agreed upon, he tells us, that the Public person, on the part of Rome, whom we may call the King at arms, and who was the sacrificing Priest, when about to strike the Victim, thus invocates their common God, in an address to the Alban People, and their chief Heralds--" Legibus deinde recitatis, Audi,

inquit, Jupiter; audi Pater patrate Populi Albani; "audi tu Populus Albanus; ut illa palam prima pos"trema ex illis Tabulis Cerave recitata sunt, sine dolo "malo, utique ea hic hodie rectissime intellecta sunt, illis Legibus Populus Romanus prior non deficiet. Si prior "defexit publico Consilio dolo malo, TU ILLO DIE, "JUPITER, POPULUM ROMANUM SIC FERITO, UT EGO

HUNC PORCUM HIC HODIE FERIAM TANTOQUE MA

GIS FERITO quanto magis potes pollesque: Id ubi dixit, "porcum saxo silice percussit*."

Another Treaty concluded between Hannibal and his Army of multifarious Adventurers was, the same historian tells us, sanctified in the like manner. Just before the battle of Trebia, the General, encouraging his Followers, by all the usual excitements, to do their duty, concludes with a promise of the most magnificent spoils, as

Liv. 1: i. c. 24.