The harmony of the divine attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of man's redemption…

2. Expiatory: The Sin-offerings for the averting of Gods wrath. The Institution of them was upon a double Reason;

1. That Man is a sinner, and therefore obnoxious to the just indignation and extreme displeasure of the Holy and Righteous God. 2. That God was to be propitiated, that he might pardon them. These Truths are engraven in the natural Consciences of Men, as appears by the•• pretended Expiations of sin among the Heathens: But are more clearly revealed in the Scripture. Under the Law without the effusion of Blood there was no Remission; To signify,¹ that God would not forgive Sin without the atonement of Justice, which required the Death of the Offender; but it being tempered with Mercy, accepted a Sacrifice in his stead. And that there was a Substitution of the Beast in the place of the guilty Offender, appears by the Law concerning Sacrifices. 1. None were instituted for Capital Offences, as Murder, Idolatry, Adultery, &c. Because the Sinner himself ⟨p. 252⟩was to be cut off: But for other Sins, which although in strictness they deserved Death, yet God who was the King of Israel, was pleased to remit the Forfeiture, and to accept the life of the Sacrifice for the Life of the Sinner. 2. The guilty Person was to offer a clean Beast of his own; to signify the Surrogation of it in his stead. For in the relation of a Possessor he had a dominion over it, to apply it to that use. 3. The Priest, or the person that offered,² was to lay his hands on the head of the Sacrifice, thereby Consecrating it to God, and Devoting it in his stead to bear the Punishment. For this reason 'twas called a Sin, and a Curse. 4. The Confession of Sin by the People,³ or the Priest, as in the day of Atonement, signified that the guilt of all met on the Sacrifice for Expiation. 5. The Blood was to be shed wherein the vital spirits are, an express representation what the Sinner deserved: and that it was accepted for his Life. 6. Lastly, The deprecating of God's Anger was joined with the Sacrifice. As when a Man was slain, and the Murderer was not found; the Elders of the City next to the dead Body, were to kill an Heifer in a Valley, and to pray that innocent Blood might not be laid to their charge: otherwise the Land could not be cleansed from the guilt of Blood, but by the Blood of the Murderer.