effected by the labours and sufferings of one inferior to the Deity? Was
such a dispensation as that of Moses, designed simply to prepare the way
for a messenger of God to declare his will, and to seal the testimony
with his blood, as many good men have done, both before and since? Why
did patriarchs and prophets foretell his coming, and celebrate his
praises?--Why did the continual offering of divinely appointed
sacrifices, for many centuries, typify his sufferings?--And why did
nature shudder, and shroud herself in darkness, at the consummation of
those sufferings? All these things are utterly inexplicable, on the
supposition that Christ is a created dependent being.

But view him as _God manifest in the flesh_--view him as voluntarily
laying aside his glory, and descending from the throne of infinite
majesty, to assume the nature, and expiate the guilt of a ruined
race;--and we are struck with the appropriateness of all the attending
circumstances. The splendid ceremonials of the Jewish ritual, and the
raptured songs of prophets and of angels were well employed to prepare
the way for the visible manifestation of Deity among men. The
annunciation of the divine nature of the Redeemer must, therefore, be an
essential part of _the preaching of the cross_.

Equally indispensable is a decided testimony to that perfect _atonement
for sin_, which was made by this great offering. Here is the only
foundation of human hope. This was the grand object accomplished by the
Saviour's sufferings. Thus was completely solved the mysterious problem,
which all created intelligences had deemed inexplicable--how sin could
be remitted, without infringing the rights and tarnishing the honour of
the divine government--and how the guilty could be rescued from wrath,
without a forfeiture of the divine veracity. Never indeed was the divine
law so completely vindicated, or the claims of justice so awfully