was not furely required for the fake of rendering God abundant in goodness, and ready to forgive. His moral nature is immutable, and can admit of no alteration. There is no want of compaffion in him. Had nothing required the fufferings of Christ in the atonement, but a want of pity in the divine mind, they might have been spared. We muft take heed, that we do not conceive of God as being unpropitious, malevolent, and revengeful. We must not find the ground of the atonement to lie in any fuch fpirit of animofity. in a flate of rectitude. Alfo, ́a difcovery of the turpitude of fin, enhances the value of holiness, and renders it a greater good. In the fatisfaction which is made by Chrift, fin appears to be fin. The matchlefs fufferings of the divine Saviour, fhow that fin is an evil of infinite extent, and tends directly to mar the moral beauty of creation, and introduce confu fion, and every evil work. Thus by this view of fin, holinefs becomes more defirable, more lovely, . and the happinefs of the intellectual fyftem is advanced. We muft further add, that God may appear amiable, and infinitely the best good, it must be feen that he has a deteftation and abhorrence of fin. It is from the dif-, But, it seems, that the beft good of the intellectual and moral world, requires that God fhould appear to be a terror to evil doers. And this is to be seen, by his re-play of himself that his creatures quiring the expiatory fufferings of are made happy. And that he Chrift. The wife moral Govern- may make the fulleft discovery of or, that he may be juft, has an himself, he muft manifeft his feelimmenfe fyftem of creation to ings with regard to the extreme, watch over and protect. He has vilenefs of fin. This is done in to guard and defend the rights the atonement.-These are fome and privileges of his moral gov- of the important truths which the ernment. This benevolent juftice, fatisfaction of Chrift has ferved which looks over creation with a to elucidate, and confirm; and watchful eye, is that kind of juf- for which it became requifite. tice which rendered the atonement neceffary. To maintain the interefts of this kingdom it is requifite, that the divine law fhould be feen in its dignity, lovelinefs, and fpirituality. And to this purpofe, it must be fupported; which is done by the atoning fufferings of Chrift. Thus the law is magnified and made honorable. The divine authority of this law, is made to be refpected through the holy part of creation. Likewife, it is needful that there be an expreffion of the evil of fin. The good of the whole requires this manifeftation. For thereby, holy beings are deterred from tranfgreffion, and preferved III. The fatisfaction rendered in the atonement, is not to be viewed ftrictly as the payment of a debt. Salvation; is, indeed, bloodbought. The blood of Chrift is reprefented as the price, which was laid down for redemption, But this must be viewed as a metaphorical expreffion, meaning that Chrift's fufferings, and obedience, have made it confiftent to forgive the finner. Placing the atonement precifely upon the footing of a pecuniary. tranfaction, it is conceived, alters the nature of justice. In the payment of a debt, one equivalent good is rendered for another. And thus the damage is repaired, and entire fatisfaction made. But fuffering can be no good, upon any principle. It can, in itself, be no gratification or benefit to the pure and perfect juftice of God. He hath no pleasure in the death of him that dieth. He is a tender, compaffionate God, and mifery can be no adequate compenfation for his goods which finners have received and wafted. The atonement, then, is not to be viewed as the payment of a debt, after our manner of negociation, but is rather to be confidered as an expedient which infinite wisdom has devised, rendering it confiftent to forgive tranfgreffors. The mere fufferings of Chrift could have had no avail, to faye, were it not for the great and extenfive ends which they brought to pass. And, as far as these ends can be fecured in a confiftency with the falvation of guilty men, God will extend mercy. He will fave to the uttermoft; for his mercy endureth for ever. We will now add a few reflections. 1. We learn the fufficiency of the atonement. and God is exhibited in his tranfcendent purity, viewing fin as odious, and delighting in holiness. Thefe truths are not lefs clear in the atonement, than they would have been in the final deftruction. of the human race. Indeed, they are fet forth in a vaftly stronger light, on account of the matchless dignity of the divine Saviour. So that we are not to suppose, that God's compaffions can fail, by reafon of any limitation in the atonement which Chrift has made.' 2. The fufficiency of the atonement does not imply that all are to be faved. The fatisfaction which Chrift has rendered, is not fuch as to release the obligation of the finner, and extinguish the claims of juftice upon him. His character remains the fame as before. His ill-defert is not diminished; and he is entitled to nothing but the wages of fin. The fatisfaction is not fo fet to his account, as neceffarily to discharge him from the condemning power of the righteous law. Chrift has not fo cancelled the debt of juftice, as that the guilty offender must be fet free. He is not fubftituted in the place of the finner, in fuch man equity, be taken in exchange for those which are the finner's due. Christ hath made full fatisfac- | tion to divine juftice. The atone-ner, that his fufferings muft, in ment is of infinite value. There is no deficiency in the merit of the Redeemer. He hath taken upon himself the penalty of the law, and fubmitted to its condemning fentence. His amazing fufferings have difplayed its purity, juftice and holiness, not lefs, and even far more, than the creatures' fufferings could have done. When God fpares not his own Son, but freely gives him up to the agonies of the crofs, then fin appears to be fin; the law appears holy, juft and good; the divine anthority is clothed with dignity, VOL. IV. No. 6. The atonement does not neceffarily terminate in the falvation of all men, any more than in the recovery of apoftate angels, who kept not their firft eftate. God may have mercy on whom he will have mercy. He is still left free to difpenfe his mercies, as he pleafes. If he fees wife ends to be anfwered, by leaving a portion of the human race to perish in unbelief, he has a right fo to do. Notwithstanding the rich atonement, the renovation of the crea Сс ture ftill refts as an independent, favor, to be bestowed according to his wife and fovereign pleasure. And we may be affured that God will fave to the extent of his goodnefs. He will confer grace and glory upon loft finners, as far as he can do it confiftently with his own perfections, and the general good. 3. The fufficiency of the atonement is our encouragement, to fet about the work of our falvation. No one need defpair, on account Daniel's vifion of the four beafts, Chap. vii. I-14. Gmediate purposes by imprefof any defect in Chrifl's fatisfac GD having effected his im tion. The chief of finners may come, and find ample provifion. Chrift hath given himself a ranfom for all. He hath made fuch difplay of the excellence of the divine law, that this does not lie as an obftruction in the way to falvation. Whofoever will may come. The invitations of the gofpel are free and large. A great and effectual door is opened. And it must be encouraging to guilty men, to know that the way is cleared, and they may be forgiven upon their repentance. The richnefs of the atonement is calculated to keep the trembling penitent from defpondency. Who, in fincerity, ever fought, and was difappointed? We have reafon to blefs God for this confiftent plan of fhowing mercy. In his unfearchable wifdom and goodness, he hath devifed a method, in which he can be juft, and yet the juftifier of fuch as believe. None but God, who comprehends his own exiftence, and the immenfe fyftem of creation, could have feen how the atoning fufferings of Chrift could have made fuch difplay of truth, as to render it confiftent to exercife mercy towards the apoftate creature. Glory to God, that on fing the mind of Nebuchadnezzar with an extraordinary prophetic dream, we do not find that he experienced any other divine impreffion, except that which premonifhed him of his own degradation and humiliation; but God proceeded to communicate his wife and holy defigns to his fervant Daniel. The firft of thefe communications, like the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, prefigured a connected feries and univerfal fyftem of events to be effected in the kingdoms of the earth, to the end of the world. It confifted of a vifion, which is related in the following manner. Daniel fpake and faid, I faw in my vifions by night and behold the four winds of heaven frove upon the great feas, and there came up four beafts, diverfe one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagles' wings, and the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to fland upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. And, behold, another beafl, a fecond, like to a bear, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it; and they faid thus unto it, Arife, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo, another, like a leopard, and it had upon the back of it four wings of a forul: and dominion was given to it. After this I faw in the night vifions, and behold a fourth beaf, dreadful and terrible, and ftrong exceedingly, and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the refi due with the feet of it, and it was diverfe from all the beafs which were before it; and it had ten horns. I confidered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots, and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth fpeaking great things.-I beheld till the thrones were caft down, and the Ancient of days did fit-I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the borns fpake; I beheld even till the beaft was flain and his body deftroyed and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beafls, they had their dominion taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a feafon and a time. I faw in the night vifions, and, behold, one like the SON OF MAN came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, and nations, and languages fhould ferve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which fhall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be deftroyed. Thus we have Daniel's famous vifion of the four beafts. And as it is the prefent defign to explain the prophetic vifions of this book, this merits particular attention. But to fuggeft minutely, all the subjects comprized in it, if it were practicable, would protract the fubject to great extent, and perhaps embarrafs, rather than edify the common reader. Let it therefore fuffice to give a fummary and concife view of the fubjects and events prefigured by the emblems of this vifion. The identity of the explanation of this vifion by the angel, with the interpretation of the dream by the prophet, is a fufficient evidence that they related to the fame fub, jects. They will therefore be united in the explanation. In the interpretation of the dream, and of the vifion, we are explicitly informed, that the four different materials of the one, and the four beafts of the other, typified four different kings or kingdoms, which fhould fucceffively exift in the world. The prophet faw the four winds of heaven ftrive upon the great fea, the emblem of commotion and trouble, importing that thefe kingdoms fhould proceed from the agitations and contefts of the nations of the earth. The different qualities of the ma terials which compofed the image, and the different characters of the beasts, denoted the different flate, genius, témpers and manners, of the kingdoms which they refpectively reprefented. Of thefe empires the BABYLONIAN was the firft, and was reprefented by the head of gold in the image, to denote its magnificence, opulence and fplendor, for which reason it is called (Ifa. xiv. 4) the golden city; as it was reprefented by the lion among the beafts to denote its majefty, grandeur and power. The wings on the back of it denote the rapidity of its conquefts, and the eagles' wings, its dignified and elevated ftate; eagles' wings in fcripture being the fymbol of elevation, Exod. xix. 4. How I bare you on eagles' wings. They fhall mount up with wings as eagles, Ifa. xl. 31. If the plucking of the wings, in confequence of which, according to the figure, it fell to the earth, from which it was lifted up and made to ftand on the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it, be applied to the empire, it denoted the humble condition, like that of man in his prefent afflicted state, to which it was fubjected by the arms of its enemies. If to Nebuchadnezzar himself, it fignifics his being depofed from his kingly throne, made to eat grafs like an ox, with the restoration of his reafon and royal majefty, after he had been taught by divine chaf. tifements, that the heavens did rule. As this is the laft prophecy of the Babylonifh empire in this book, or even in the facred writings, it may be proper, in this place, to give a general account of it. BABEL or Babylon is the firft name of a city which occurs in the hiftory of mankind after the flood. It originated from that tower which the fons of men built in the land of Shinar, as that derived its name from the confufion which God introduced among the builders, to fruftrate their impious defign. It was built by Nimrod for the metropolis of his kingdom, Gen. x. 10. From that period it is not named in fcripture till the days of Uzziah, or, perhaps, more probably the days of Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah; when it became an important fubject of prophecy to the prophets, Ifaiah, Jeremiah, &c. relative to its conquefts, dominion, and terrible deftruction by the righteous judgments of God. In what political flate it exifted through that extended period, whether as an independent kingdom, or a province of the empire of Affyria, it is foreign to the prefent fubject to inquire, as that whole term preceded that prophetic series of events which is the grand subject of this vifion. Though it be exhibited in the reign of Hezekiah, (Ifa. xxxix.) as an independent fovereignty, it is doubtful whether it is to be confidered as the lion, as it appears after this to have been fubject to the kings of Affyria, (fee 2 Kings xvii. 24, and 2 Chron. xxxiii. 11.) from whom it was liberated by the united arms of the Medes and Babylonians. Nabopollaffar, a Babylonish officer under the king of Affyria, availing himself of the effeminacy of his fovereign, affumed an independent ftate; and making affinity with the king of Media by the marriage of his fon Nebuchadnezzar with the daughter of the Median king, the two kings combined their arms for the conqueft of Affyria, fubdued that empire, flew its king, and completely deftroyed Nineveh, its capital. Nebuchadnezzar, taking the command of the Babylonifh army, by his military skill and valor, fubdued all the adjacentkingdoms, and making fpoil of their treafures, and depofiting them in Babylon, he made his empire the most extenfive, and his royal city the moft opulent of any, perhaps, that the world had ever feen. In Nebuchadnezzar, that famous conqueror, in Babylon that magnificent and impregnable city, and in that empire now elevated to the zenith of earthly glory, we fee the head of gold diffufing its fplendid beams, and the lion difplaying his majefty and power. But the fucceffors of Nebuchadnezzar being weak, or luxurious and effeminate, or both, the empire foon began to decline; and the Medes and Perfians, weary of the Babylonish yoke, combined for its ruin, and fending an army under Cyaxares the Median king, and Cyrus the |