Messiah must have long since come into the world ; and the Jews are inexcusable in rejecting so decisive a testimony. The ends of the Messiah's advent, which are here set forth in a rich variety of expression, will form the subject of our present discourse.
God sent him,
I. To open a way for our salvation —
There were two great obstacles to the salvation of man, namely, guilt and corruption And
For the removal of these the law made no adequate provision —
[There were sacrifices and various other sendees appointed for the removal of guilt : and the person who complied with the ordinances prescribed, was considered as absolved from his sin. But in the nature of things " it was not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin." Indeed the annual repetition of the same offerings on the great day of atonement shewed, that the transgressions, which had been before atoned for, were not fully and finally forgiven : these repeated sacrifices were so many " remembrances of sins," intended to lead the minds of men to that greater sacrifice, which alone could " make them perfect as pertaining to the conscience," or procure to them a complete and " eternal redemption0."]
But what the law could not do, God sent his only dear Son to effect d —
[" The Messiah was to be cut off, but not for himself e :" by him Divine justice was to be satisfied, and the hand-writing that was against us, being nailed to his cross, was to be for ever cancelledf: he was so to "finish transgression, and make an end of sin " that no further sacrifice for it should ever be neces- sary: by his one offering he was to perfect for ever them that are sanctifiedg. All this has been done : through the blood of his cross, reconciliation is made between God and manh : God no more abhors the sinner, seeing that he is cleansed from sin in the Redeemer's blood, and is clothed in that spotless right- eousness which Jesus has brought in ' : nor does the sinner any longer hate God, because he is enabled to behold him as his God and Father in Christ. Thus is the breach completely
c Heb. ix. 9 — 12. and x. 1 — 4. d Rom. viii. 3.
e Dan. ix. 27. f Col. ii. 14. s Heb. x. 11—14.
h Col. i. 21, 22. ; 2 Cor. v. 21.