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SERMON X.

ATONEMENT.

(Preached on Good Friday.)

ZECH. xiii. 7.

"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts."

It is appointed unto all men once to die, and after death the judgment. The first of these truths it is not possible to question; and the number of those I suppose is small, who can bring themselves to disbelieve the second. Multitudes indeed would keep both out of their minds if they were able, but happily they are not able to do so altogether; and it would be happier still if they would not attempt it. Since death and judgment assuredly await us, it should be in all reason our chief occupation to prepare for them. How may we then prepare for them? If God will

bring every word and work into judgment, by what possibility may man be accounted just before Him? If he is to be dealt with according to his proper merit, the best of us will be the first to own that his condition is no better than that of the wretched criminal, whose last word of defence has been confuted, and who has nothing to look for at the hand of justice, but condemnation and a heavy sentence. For, both Scripture and conscience testify that there is "none righteous" among us, though there may be many penitents: and if, in the judgment of our own hearts, our misdeeds prevail against us, how may we stand before Him who is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all things!

This most serious of all inquiries the text may enable us to resolve, and that by means of the reference it has to the solemn occasion of our meeting here to-day. I shall not, then, be taking up your time unseasonably, nor, I hope, unprofitably, if I request you to accompany me in the examination of it.

The whole verse runs thus: "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn my hand upon the little ones." The second clause, you know, is quoted by our Sa

viour in the 26th chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel; and he applies it to the cowardly desertion of him by his disciples when he was apprehended by the Jewish officers. It is clear, therefore, that the whole relates to the occasion and circumstances of our Lord's death. The sword is the instrument of divine judgment; and He is the shepherd against whom it is commissioned to awake. This will admit of no reasonable controversy, (though I am not ignorant that there are some of name who have thought otherwise ;) I am, therefore, I believe, upon safe ground, in making that use of the passage which I proposed; it will yield us the true answer to our questionhow may sinful man be justified at God's bar? For we may collect from it both the doctrine itself, of atonement through Christ's sufferings, and the ample sufficiency of that atonement, and the suitableness of the provision made thereby for man's redemption.

I. These great truths I shall first endeavour to unfold.

II. And we will then inquire what is demanded on our parts, that we may be actual partakers of the benefit.

For when God has set forth the method of our salvation, it, doubtless, rests with ourselves, by his grace, to lay hold of it.

I. i. First, then, from the text I gather the doctrine of atonement through Christ's sufferings: "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd."

The record which calls Christ God's shepherd, calls mankind his sheep. And had man chosen to abide in this relation to his Maker, goodness and mercy had followed him all the days of his life. But "all we like sheep have gone astray, and turned every one to his own way :"* that is, have followed the desires of our natural hearts to sin, and so have tempted Him, of whom we may well suppose that he beareth not the sword in vain, to command that executioner of his just wrath to awake against us. But though it is certain that the Judge of all the earth will infallibly do right; and he declares himself that he will by no means clear the guilty, and says by Moses, "If I whet my glittering sword, and my hand take hold of judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and reward them that hate me;"† yet, there is-speaking after the manner of men-a strife in the Divine mind respecting this; for in another place he says,

How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel? My heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together: I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger: I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am

* Isa. liii. 6.

Deut. xxxii. 41.

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God, and not man. Yea, "I have seen his ways, (he says,) and I will heal him." This is God's final resolution in His all-surpassing love.

The text makes known the course which he has been pleased to take for giving effect to it.

1. First, he constituted his only begotten Son the Shepherd of this wandering flock. They should no longer be a prey to all the beasts of the field, being scattered: but, "I will both seek my sheep (he says) and search them out."-" I will bring again that which was driven away, and I will bind up that which was broken:" and "I will set up one Shepherd over them, even my servant David,—that is, Jesus Christ; for the prophecy was delivered by Ezekiel long after the literal David's death. "And He shall be their Shepherd."+ "And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord."§

In the fulness of time, therefore, Christ came, and when he came he claimed this title: "I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."|| And his sheep knew his voice, and followed him. And in the sense of instruction, he fed their souls with food convenient for them, and showed them the good and the right way to God. But he was actually to

* Hos. xi. 8, 9. † Isa. lvii. 18. 3 Micah v. 4.

Ezek. xxxiv. 11, 16, 23. || John x. 14.

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