of serving God in the tabernacle, it might have been justly apprehended from the infirmities of human nature, that the number of the excommunicated would have been very great, and the consequences hurtful to the interests of religion. Of the provision made for one of these cases you have an account, Lev. vi, 2, 7: "If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the Lord, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered to him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour, or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein, then it shall be, because he hath sinned and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, or all that about which he hath sworn falsely, he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering. And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock. And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord; and it shall be forgiven him, for any thing of all that he hath done, in trespassing therein."

A singular provision is made for the case of a man committing lewdness with a bondmaid betrothed to a husband. Lev. xix, 21, 22, "He shall bring his

trespass offering unto the Lord, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord, for his sin which he hath done, and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.

These were all the cases of sacrificial atonements; but there were several other kinds of atonements besides appointed by the law, or actually made in consequence of some eminent act of duty, or zeal of particular persons, and the purpose or effect of this was to prevent threatening, or avert present and immediate expressions of divine displeasure from the persons who were liable thereto. Thus an atonement was appointed whenever the people were numbered, and the design was declared to be, "that there be no plague among them when thou numberest them." This atonement consisted in paying a small piece of money, which went to the service of the tabernacle. We find also a stop put to an infliction of punishment already begun, and an atonement made by offering incense, Num. xvi, 46, 47; "And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censor, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them; for there is wrath gone out from the Lord: the plague is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and behold, the plague was begun amongst the people: and he put on in

cense, and made an atonement for the people." Another plague was stopped, and an atonement made by the zeal of Phinehas in inflicting exemplary punishment on Zimri and Cozbi, when God said, Num. xxv, 11, "Phinehas hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel (while he was zealqus for my sake among them), that I consumed not the children of Israel." In like manner, when a famine was inflicted on the land, for the injustice and violence committed by Saul against the Gibeonites; David inquired of them, what shall I do for you, and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may behold the inheritance of the Lord? By which I apprehend he did not mean only, wherewith shall I make you a satisfaction? but, as appears from the then present state of things, and the constant use of the word atonement, wherewith shall I remove the present expression of divine displeasure? We read also Exodus, xxxii, 30, that Moses proposed to prevent immediate infliction of punishment, and to make atonement for the sin of the people in the business of the golden calf, by interceding for them: "Ye have sinned a great sin; and now I will go unto the Lord, peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin."

Having now collected all the cases, for which atonements were appointed by the law of Moses, or in which contrary atonements were actually made, I proceed to offer some observations upon them. First: It is obvious to remark, that a great part of

the appointed atonements bear no relation at all to moral conduct, to merit or demerit; for many of them were appointed for things altogether incapable thereof, such as the golden and brazen altar, the tabernacle, and the utensils respectively belonging to them; also leprous houses. Others, which were appointed for persons, related to circumstances of no moral quality, such as natural infirmities, diseases, and accidental events. As to sins of ignorance, for which atonements were appointed, if they had in them any bad moral conduct or demerit, it was of the least kind, and consequent upon the imperfections inseparable from human nature. However, if the offence was such as admitted compensation, we find a full compensation, and with it an additional fine was to be paid down before an atonement could be made as to acts of fraud, falsehood, and injustice between man and man. Though these are certainly criminal, yet it seems very expedient, that after restitution and compensation for damages done, the offending parties should be restored to the common privileges of public worship in the house of God, not only for the reason hinted at, but also to promote peace, and conciliate and restore mutual confidence in society, to which the injured and offended are commonly too backward. As for the atonement for the man, who had debauched a bondmaid betrothed to a husband, we ought to consider how few civil or natural rights bondservants could claim, and how little they were esteemed at that

time, and consequently that this would not be regarded as a very heinous transgression in an age and country, that considered concubinage with female slaves as deserving no reproach. Hence this law (which seems particularly directed against the invasions of masters on the purity and honour of the marriage bed of their dependents) seems to be of the same kind with that which allowed divorce, on which our Lord says, " for the hardness of your heart, he (Moses) wrote you this precept." Mark v, 5..

Secondly It may be observed farther, with relation to the extraordinary atonements made by some eminent act of zeal and duty, or prayer of some eminent person, whereby some impending judgment was averted, or plague actually begun was stopped, that a full pardon does not appear to have been obtained for the offenders hereby, but only further time and a continuance of their privileges as the people of God, whereby they might be brought to a due sense of their misconduct, and to true repentance and amendment, and in consequence thereof be restored to divine favour. It is very observable, that when Moses proposed to make an atonement for the people in the matter of the golden calf, Exodus, xxxii, 30, and accordingly interceded earnestly for their forgiveness, the answer which he received concluded with this clause, verse 34"Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them :" it is added, verse 35, "and

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