person to take away sin from us : if he must be a victim for the sins of others, he must himself be without spot or blemish. Thus, in the person of the Lord Jesus, were united both God and man. In his own nature he was God equal with the Father, even " God over all, blessed for ever1." By assuming our nature into union with his own, he became capable of suffering in our place and stead. And he did suffer in our place ; for we are expressly told, that " God laid on him the iniquities of us allk." Nor did he only suffer the penalties of the broken law, which, without his merciful intervention, we must have endured for ever ; but he fulfilled, in its utmost possible extent, all its holy precepts, and thereby wrought out a righteousness for us, " a righteousness which might be imputed to all, and put upon all, those who should believe in him1." As for consider- ing how all this could be ; how God could become a man ; how he could stand in our place and stead ; how he could, by his vicarious sufferings, atone for sin ; hozv such a plan could avail for affecting a recon- ciliation between God and man ; and how God can accept man through a righteousness not his own, but wrought out for him by another, and imputed to him ; and how God's perfections can be reconciled and glorified in such a way of saving man ; these are questions which God alone can resolve : it is suffi- cient for us to know, that God has provided such a way for the removal of our guilt ; and that " of those who come to him in his Son's name, not one shall ever be cast outm." We sum up, therefore, this part of our subject in the inspired declaration, which we are commissioned to proclaim to the whole world, that " God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them11."
But, to remedy our weakness, a commission also was given to the Third Person in the ever-blessed
1 Rom. ix. 5. k Isai. liii. 6. > Rom. iii. 22.
m John vi. 37. n 2 Cor. v. 18, 19.