tion; the fish of the river died, and the soldiers, captains and the whole army were destroyed. God reckoned with them as he had foretold to Abraham that he would do, when he said, ' Know of a furety, that thy feed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years: and also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge.' By this it appears, that all the afflictions of the Ifraelites for several generations, were remembered in judgment against the generation of Egyptians which lived in the days of Moses. God had become weary of withholding, and brought his judgments upon them, for all the cruelties which Ifrael had received for ages past. The commission which God gave to Moses and his fuccessors against the Canaanites, was to cut off every man, woman and child: and it was expressly given on account of the wickedness of those nations, which had been accumu- | lating for ages. In the days of Abraham God faid, The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.' And he gave this as the reason why his pofterity should not pofsess their land which was promised, until the fourth generation. At that time it had become full, and divine forbearance could continue no longer. And God commanded his people to exterminate them all-root and branch. Here God visited the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and reckoned with them for their national wickedness, which had been increasing for ages. ters, but they should go into captivity-should be given unto another people, and that they should eat the fruit of their own bodies.' And thus their children would fuffer on account of the wickedness of their parents, and of the nation at large; which has already come to pass. The children of Korah and his party were all swallowed up in the opening earth, on account of the sins of their parents. Fearful judgments were denounced on the posterity of Eli, to remote generations, on account of the iniquity of his house, which continued to be accomplished till the reign of Solomon, when Abiathar was thrust out from being a priest unto the Lord. When Ifrael came out of Egypt, the Amalekites assaulted them, for which their pofterity fuffered so long after as the reign of Saul. Samuel also said unto Saul, Thus faith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Ifrael, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go, and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but flay both man and woman, infant and fuckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.' Five of Saul's pofterity were also hanged for his perfidiousness to the Gibeonites; and there was also a famine upon all Ifrael on that account, after Saul had long been dead. Another striking example of this nature is the plague which was so sore upon Ifrael, in consequence of the fin of David in numbering them. No fewer than seventy thousand died. David was sensible that it was in confe. quence of his fins, as appears by punith him, and not the people, in which he pleads for them, faying, But as for these sheep, what have they done.' The fins of Manasseh were vifited upon Judah in the Babylonian captivity, long after he and his agents were dead. Jehoakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, fo that the remnant of Judah might be destroyed. • Surely, fays God, at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah to destroy it-to remove them out of his fight, for the fins of Manaffeh, according to all that he did, and alfo for the innocent blood that he shed, (for he filled Jerufalem with innocent blood) which the Lord would not pardon.' Nehemiah alfo justifies God in his wrath againft Judah, on account of the fins of their kings, princes, priests and fathers, who kept not the law of God, nor hearkened unto his commandments, which is affigned as the reafon of their captivity.One particular reason given for the Babylonian captivity is, that the land of Judea might enjoy its Sabbaths. God commanded that every feventh year should be a Sabbath, and the land should not be tilled. But for four hundred and ninety. years this command had been difregarded. The land had been fo long defrauded of its feventh-year Sabbaths, and we are told that the captivity was To fulfil the word of the Lord, by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the ❘ land had enjoyed her Sabbaths : for as long as the lay defolate she kept Sabbaths, to fulfil threefcore and ten years. So that at that captivity, that generation fuffered for the fins of their ancestors, for four hundred and ninety years Mofes alfo folemnly admonished Ifrael, That if they should rebel againft God, the fruit of their bodies should be curfed they should beget fons and daugh- | his interceffion that God would back. : Befides: The whole nation of the Jews have now, for more than seventeen hundred years, fuffered for the fins of their fathers. They are caft out, and are a curse, and a bye-word, according to the prophecy of Mofes. Many more instances might, were it necessary, be mentioned; but I pass to Another evidence that Chrift intended to be understood, that the blood of the prophets should be required of that generation. It is evident from what actually did take place, before that generation paffed away. mans came and destroyed the whole country, and such miferies and distresses came upon them as had no parallel on earth. The Ro It may be also mentioned, that it is a matter of fact, continually before our eyes, that children fuffer in consequence of the fins of their parents, and people in confequence of the wickedness of rulers, &c. But enough has been faid to fix the meaning of the paffage of scripture under confideration. It remains to show, that this mode of divine administration is confiftent with perfect reditude, and is exceedingly glorious. This mode of divine adminiftration is confiftent with perfect rectitude, because no men are punished, or suffer in this way, any more than they perfonally de. serve for their own fins. Every foul that perished in the deluge, Sodom, Egypt, Canaan, and at the final destruction of Jerufalem, was a finner, and deferved infinite ly greater evils at the hand of God, than were inflicted in those defolations, by which God mani fested his abhorrence of the fins of former generations. God vifits the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate him. If there are any right. cous, they are not punished, but | proceeded to much further lengths delivered like Noah, Lot, and the Chriftians at the destruction of Jerufalem. It cannot be justly faid, that the fathers have eaten four grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge, in such a sense, as that they do not die for their | own fin. This may be illustrated by a familiar fimilitude. A few foldiers defert from an army, and are apprehended, but the commander, loath to punish, gives them all a pardon. Ho does this repeatedly; but at length defertions become frequent, and fol. diers encourage themselves in it by his lenity. He finds it necefsary to make a public example, and the next that is apprehended fuffers. In this cafe, he suffers only what he perfonally deferves; but he would have been pardoned, if it had not been for former desertions. He fuffers therefore in confequence of the fins of others, but not beyond what was due for his own conduct. So if there had been no perfecutions before the age in which Christ was in the flesh, God would have dealt with that generation in a way of forbearance, as he dealt with former perfecutors; but since perfecutions of the prophets had continued so Jong in the world, it was high time that God should manifest his displeasure, in the most awful judgments. The same obfervations will apply to those who perished in the deluge, in Sodom, Egypt, &c. Befides: In these national judgments, the generation punished was more ill-deferving than the former ones. This was true of Sodom, Egypt, and especially of those to whom Chrift delivered the paffage under confideration. They perfecuted Christ and his church with greater malice, and than their fathers had ever done. Their measure of iniquity was increasing, until it became full, and it was highly neceffary that God should manifeft his displeasure. God fixed upon the right generation to give the world a sample of his wrath, for all the wickednefs of the kind, which had taken place from the death of Abel. If It should also be noticed, that this generation had justified and approved all the wickedness of their predeceffors in this iniquity. This they did by doing the fame things, and by carrying these enormities to far greater lengths than had been done before, as if that had been but a small matter. they were not guilty of their perfonal fins, they were guilty of justifying them, and became in this sense accomplices in their guilt, and deserved the judgments of God on that account, especially as they lived in a more enlightened age, and had the advantage of all the admonitions which God had given against such wickedness. Thefe observations will also apply to the old world, Sodom, Egypt, &c. They virtually approved the violence, luft, cruelty and idolatry of their forefathers, and proceeded beyond them in the fame deeds. -Thefe confiderations will acquit God, and show that this mode of adminiftration is confiftent with perfect rectitude. But it is not only just, but exceedingly glorious in God, thus to visit the wickedness of the fathers upon the children, and of one generation of men upon another. It discovers that God is long fuffering, flow to anger, and dilpofed to bear with mankind, and deal with them in mercy, as long as poffible, as long as the welfare of the world will admit of. But it eration-and this way of dealing with men is confiftent with perfect rectitude-and is exceedingly glorious. is important, and for the good of him, to the third and fourth genmankind, that God should fupport his government, and should sometimes, after great forbearance upon a nation or family, call them in his providence to a folemn account, in the open view of mankind, especially in the time of some uncommonly wicked and diffolute generation; that it may prove a serious admonition to the world-that the justice of God, and his attention to the conduct | of his creatures may finally appear, after it has been difregarded, through his great forbearanceand that men and nations, may be awed and restrained, and taught that forbearance is no acquittance. -It is glorious in God to visit De iniquities of the lewd, the intemperate, and the profligate, upon their children. It is doubtless a great restraint upon many thoufands of parents, who for their children's fakes, are decent, reputable people. It leads pious parents to greater fidelity to the fouls of their offspring, and is a check upon all but the most abandoned. The benefits of this mode of proceeding are undoubtedly exceedingly great. It alfo brings God into view, shows his forbearance to be forbearance, and not indifference-exhibits his hatred of fin, his justice, and his regard to the holiness and happiness of his creatures. All the instances which have been mentioned in this differtation, are now ensamples to us, and serious, useful admonitions, and will remain so to all fucceeding generations to the end of the world. Thus it is the established and avowed principle of divine administration, which God has adopted in the government of this world, to visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children that hate | The preceding observations admonish us, that though God may bear long with a wicked individual or nation, he will call the criminal into judgment. There is no final escape, but by flying to the mercy of God in Chrift.These observations do also sug. gest, that when a people or individuals, are growing in wickedness, and are filling up the measure of their iniquities with uncommon rapidity, there is reason to expect that their destruction is drawing near, and that God is in his providence preparing them for a dreadful reckoning, in which he will visit upon them the iniquities of former generations. But when there is a general reformation, and a people forsake the evil of their ways, and return unto the Lord, there is great reason to hope, however abandoned their fathers have been, that God will defer his wrath, and put off the day of his vengeance, and say unto them, as he faid unto Jofiah, "But to the king of Judah, which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him: Thus faith the Lord God of Ifrael, as touching the words which thou hast heard; because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a defolation, and a curse, and haft rent thy clothes, and wept before me, I also have heard thee faith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered unto thy grave in peace, On the nature of the fatisfaction, rendered in the atonement. QUESTION. How doth Chrift execute the office of a prieft? ANSWER. Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself, a facrifice to fatisfy divine justice. ASS. CATECHISM. HE method of falvation, This affection, in its different modifications, gains the name of the several moral attributes. Justice may be confidered, that attribute which fixes the sanctions of the moral law, and looks to the well ordering of the divine govern ment. One of these sanctions consists in death, or endless suffering, as the wages of fin. This penalty is of great extent, and involves the offender in remediless ruin. According to the tenor of the law, fin is an evil of infinite magnitude, and exposes to intermina Tthrough the atonement of ble mifery, as the just consequence Christ, displays the infinite wisdom and goodness of God. It is suitable that we should endeavour to gain a right view of this atonement. For it is a fundamental doctrine in the Christian scheme, and a misconception here, may lead to confequences of a dangerous and destructive tendency. We may believe that Christ, by his sufferings, hath endured the penalty of the law, in such a manner, as in this respect fully to fatisfy divine juftice. But the nature of this fatisfaction, becomes a subject of inquiry. And it will be found that it does not neceffarily terminate in the happiness of all the human race, but is rather an encouragement to the finner, to fet about the work of his falvation. : I. Concerning the nature of divine justice. This is a formidable attribute; in it, God appears clothed in terrible majesty, making himself known in the judgment which he executeth. But it breathes the same spirit with benevolence, and has the fame moral excellence. One individual principle actuates the divine mind. God is love. This penalty, however, does not originate in a vindictive, revengeful spirit. And justice would lay afide its claims, if there were no other end to be answered, but the gratification which arises from the misery of the offender. The infliction of penal evil, must have something to justify it befides the fatisfaction which the misery of the creature can give to the divine lawgiver. It will not do to vindicate the penalty of the law, by saying, 'It is no more than the vile transgressor highly deferves.' There must be some further reafon why such treatment of the finner is just, or which constitutes his ill-defert. And if no reason, of a public nature, can be found for inflicting the penalty of the law, it ought in justice to be laid afide; for in such a condition as this, to exact punishment, would rather be the injustice and unfeelingness of a tyrant, than the tenderness of a wife and good fovereign. Hence we may inquire, II. Why justice required fatisfaction. And here we may bring into view the public and general good, as the great object which renders such a fatisfaction neceffary. It |