know that he was manifested to take away our sins ; and in him was no sin."
The destruction of sin being the great scope and end of our Ministry also, we will, I. Open to you his appeal —
The great end of our Saviour's incarnation was to take away sin —
[Sin had separated man from God, and God from man * : nor was it possible that they should be re-united in mutual love and amity, unless this evil were removed. But removed, it could not be, either as to its guilt or power, by any efforts of man : nor could all the angels in heaven render to him any effectual aid. God therefore of his own love and mercy *' laid help for us upon One that was mighty ''," even upon his co-equal, co-eternal Son, whom he sent into the world on this benevolent errand, to " put away our sins by the sacri- fice of himself %" and to " subdue our iniquities" by the effi- cacy of his grace '^.
For this the Lord Jesus Christ was well fitted, by reason of his own spotless character. This I conceive to be parti- cularly intimated in our text. The connexion between the two clauses of the text does not at first sight appear ; but we apprehend, that the mention of the spotless character of Jesus is intended to convey this idea, namely, that, being himself without sin, he was fitted for the work assigned him ; and could present to God such an offering as our necessities re- quired. Under the law it was especially appointed, that the sacrifices should be without spot or blemish. The Paschal lamb was set apart four days before, it was offered, on purpose that it might be scrutinized to the uttermost, and thus be proved fit for its destined use*. The Lord Jesus too went up to Jerusalem four days before his crucifixion, and un- derwent the strictest examination at different tribunals, and was declared innocent, by Pilate his judge, by his fellow-suf- ferer on the cross, by the Centurion who presided at his ex- ecution : all his enemies thus unwittingly attesting, that he was indeed " a Lamb without blemish and without spotV and that, being " just himself," he was every way fit to " suffer in the place of us the unjust*^."
In another view too his spotless character subserves this preat end of his mission : for, " being without guile himself, he has set us a perfect example :" and the best possible way of
avoiding
' Isai.lix. 2. '' Ps. Ixxxix. \Q. ' Heb. ix. 26.
^ Mich. vii. ig. « Exod. xii. 3, 6. ' 1 Pet. i. I9.
f 1 Pel. iii. 18.