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DECEMBER.

6. The second session of the twenty-first congress of the United States commenced. The president's message was received; and hon. Andrew Stevenson, reelected speaker of the house.

10. Died in Bucks county, Pa. Rev. James P. Willson, D. D. for many years pastor of the first Presbyterian church in Philadel. phia. His reputation for theological and general knowledge, his talents as displayed originally at the bar, and afterwards in the pulpit, his personal character and usefulness, long rendered him one of the most eminent clergymen in this country.

manner.

17. The liberator Bolivar expired at one o'clock, P. M. at San Pedro, in a calm and collected His remains were intered at Caraccas, where he was born, July 24th, 1783. By a series of splendid actions he freed his country from the Spanish yoke; and was named dictator, January 2, 1814.

30. Died at Hartford, Conn. Miss Alice Cogswell, aged 25. The spotted fever left her deaf and dumb, when between the age It was of two and three years. the interest awakened in her case that led to the establishment of the American asylum to the deaf and dumb.

JANUARY, 1831.

19. The annual meeting of the American Colonization Society was held in the hall of the house of representatives at Washing. The income exceeded that of any preceding year by more than $6000. The plans of the society are regarded with increasing favor through the union.

ton.

FREE DISCUSSIONS. CORRECTIONS BY THE AUTHOR.

In the Letter to Coldenham, the last paragraph, p. 320, should be thus, "I have often been struck with the arrogance and self-sufficiency of little folks, who prate against the principles and opinions of ancient venerable men, as if the mere circumstance of the antiquity of their works, or some words out of use in modern times, rendered their arguments unworthy of examination; and became, &c."-the last word in the column, should be "repealed."

NOTICE TO MINISTERS AND OTHER
AGENTS.

It is often inconvenient, and sometimes impracticable, to give receipts for moneys transmitted to us by mail. We will, however, acknowledge the sums received in the magazine itself. From May to August, 1831, Rev. Dr. Willson, Albany, $48; Rev. John Cannon, Greensburgh, $50; Dr. Black, Pittsburgh, $200. From August to November, Mr. James McLean, Cincinnati, $20; Rev. David Steele, $10, and since $5, in all $15; Mr. Wm. Wylie, Newburgh, $24; Rev. Hugh Mc. Millan, Xenia, $50. From Nov. to Jan. 1832, Mr. Wm. Cunning. ham, Schenectady, $50; John Tullock, Duanesburgh, $20; David Orr, Kortright, $6; William Beattie, Coldenham, $30; John Thompson, Chambersburgh, $20; G. F. Horton, Terrytown, $10; Hugh Cathcart, Carolina, $30. Payment not above $5 will be no. ticed.

VOL. I.

MARCH 1, 1832.

NO. 11.

NECESSITY OF THE ATONEMENT.

(Continued from page 388.)

3. God's goodness requires the punishment of sin. Goodness is that attribute which prompted God to create beings capable of enjoyment, to prefer their happiness to their misery, and to confer upon them every means of gratification in consistency with his other perfections. It is stamped upon all created objects, and if there exists any causes of unhappiness in the world it is not from the fountain of goodness that they have proceeded. Evil is an intruder in God's universe with all its base concomitants, and shall he not act for its expulsion? He beholds it exerting all its influence to thwart his benevolent purposes towards his creatures. Breaking in upon the happiness of heaven, and hurling down to the pit of eternal misery myriads of the once pure and happy sons of the morning.

He

views it, insinuating itself, disguised under the garb of good, into the terrestrial paradise, deceiving the unsophisticated inhabitants of the new born world, and infusing misery, reproach, and shame, where the purest felicity lately dwelt; plucking the crown of honor from the head of the first man, and with him as a federal head involving in guilt and consequent misery all the countless generations of his offspring. His goodness, his love for his creatures, must then influVOL. I. MARCH, 1832.

ence him to punish those who commit iniquity, and to urge the rendering of an adequate satisfaction. But it may be asked, how is it consistent with the divine goodness, which wishes well to every creature, to inflict pain and unhappiness upon them, even though they may have transgressed? "It is upon the principle that partial evil is universal good." Upon the same principle, that in human society the infliction of pain follows the violation of the law. The offender is punished, that others by a sight of his misery may be deterred from a commission of a similar crime, the intention is the prevention of the spread of misery. Thus in the mighty empire of Jehovah, he punishes a part of the rebel province to keep the other parts from committing a like offense; he inflicts misery on the rebel province itself to prevent the other provinces from being rendered miserable by a like rebellion. We know not what effect a knowledge of the misery which pervades the habitable globe-what effect the lurid glare of the flames of tophet which they behold burning high to the praises of God's vindictive justice, may have upon the inhabitants of the other departments of God's empire in preserving them free from sin-and they doubt not the example is powerful. But one thing we know, and that is, that God's goodness never shone with so conspicuous a lustre as when he was inflicting

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the most inconceivable misery on his own beloved Son. "For herein is love, not that we loved him, but that he first loved us, and sent his Son to DIE for us, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life." God's goodness renders an atonement necessary. The

4th and last of the divine perfections which we shall mention as demanding a satisfaction for sin, is his Truth. Truth is the correct exhibition of things as they are; and in reference to God it consists in an exact correspondency of all his words and actions with the attributes of his nature, and in an exact fulfillment of all his promises and threatenings. He has published a law, and proclaimed a penalty. Did he promulge his law, and proclaim his threatenings merely for his own amusement? The apostle to the Galatians—answers, "It is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." Christ has redeemed us, from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. This fact demonstrates the reality and certain execution of the divine threatenings. To remove the curse he made his own Son to be cursed for it is written, "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." When God entered into covenant with Adam in Eden, he fortified that covenant with a penal sanction, "On the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." This, he has again and again reiterated, telling us that

"the wages of sin is death"-and "the soul that sinneth, it shall die." "Death reigns even over those who have not sinned after the similitude of Adam's first transgression." The truth of the eternal God is then pledged to inflict eternal death on the transgressors of his law-and as every one of the human race has transgressed, eternal death inflicted on themselves, or an equivalent on their Surety is necessary to vindicate God's truth, and to procure an atonement.

By his prophet he has said"Wo unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him."

By his apostle he has said, without an atoning sacrifice nothing is to be expected but a "fearful looking for of fiery indignation to devour the guitly.

"Without shedding of blood there is no remission," and to shut out every ray of hope which the sinner may be supposed to entertain of obtaining forgiveness under an undefined something, styled the general mercy of God; he has inscribed it in broad characters on his own revelation, on the conscience of every individual, on every display of his righteous judgments, on every afflictive dispensation of his providence, and in letters of flame on the portals of the abodes of misery-" I will by no means clear the guilty." Shall we then believe, as some would fain persuade us, that God might have pardoned sin without a satisfaction? or, that if a satisfaction was required, it might have been procured by some other means than the sufferings of his Son? Would not this be casting a blot

upon his holiness-depriving justice of its due-and thwarting the designs of goodness which are the prevention of crime and its consequent misery? If we would join with them who say, remission might have been obtained by other means, do we not call in question the divine truth, which asserts, "without shedding of blood there is no remission?" And if we are willing to admit, that a satisfaction was not indispensable, are we not setting free the guilty, concerning whom the God of truth has said, "I will by means clear him until that guilt is moved by an ablution in the fountain of cleansing." God's truth then harmonizes with his other attributes in demonstrating the truth of our proposition-remission of sin, and reception into favor, presupposes an atonement made.

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III. We argue this truth from the character of the person rendering the satisfaction. The person suffering, that he might satisfy, was a divine person-the Son of God the eternal Father related to him,by natural and necessary filiation, acting in his official capacity, as the Christ, the anointed of God. This personage submitted to the most inconceivable degradation, and experienced sufferings such as no aggregation of creature misery ever could equal, for the accomplishment of a particular object. Is it to be for a moment supposed, that if the same objects could have been accomplished by less costly means, divine wisdom would have sanctioned the use of the great est expenditure of treasure that was within the reach of the Lord

of all creation for their procurement? Divine wisdom consists in the due proportioning of the means to the end to be obtained. If then the remission of sin could have been procured in consistency with the perfections of God, by a mere act of his will, would he have consented to the degradation of the most excellent being in the universe-to the infliction of accumulated misery on holiness and innocency itself to obtain this end, which might have cost him nothing? It cannot be. If we consider the relation which the sufferer sustained, to the Being by whom these sufferings were inflicted-and the nature of the sufferings themselves; these considerations will demonstrate a necessity which admits of no relaxation. Every act of condescension of the second Person of the trinity, belonging to his active, and every endurance of suffering entering into the constitution of his passive obedience, demonstrate the absoluteness of this necessity. The sufferer was the well beloved Son of the eternal Father" who dwelt in his house from all eternity, being daily his delight, rejoicing always before him." He disrobes himself of the glorious effulgence of divinity, he takes upon himself an inferior nature, bearing the humbling marks of sin, though the greatest of all beings he appears as the He wanders meanest of men. through a little province of his own boundless empire without a resting-place which he calls his own. He endures sufferings inconceivable by mortals ;-we merely stop to refer to his agony endured in the garden. Here

"wrath took hold of the suffering nature which subsisted in the person of the Son of God, and bruis. ed it and crushed it unto death." His agony was the effect of invisi. ible and mysterious causes, no visible enemy appeared in the garden; he was alone, but he becomes exceeding sorrowful even unto death; an invisible weight pressed him to the ground, an invisible fire melted his heart, invisible powers presented themselves in battle array before him-he applies for reliefto his eternal Father, the Father of mercies, and with strong crying and tears, he asks," If it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” And what are the words which he hears in reply? It is the Eternal himself exclaiming, "Awake, O sword, against the man that is my fellow-smite the shepherd. Who is it that exclaims, "why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?" and who is that who answers in reply, "let him not be spared but delivered up to death." It is his well beloved Son to his Father, and it pleased this Father to bruise him." "The weight of which power, applied to bruise the Son of God in our nature, would have ground the creature to powder, and the fire burning this sacrifice of himself, by which he put away sin, would have melted the earth and turned the universe into a hell."

Can we then, in considering the Son as suffering, and the Father as inflicting these sufferings; can we for a moment entertain the idea, that these sufferings might have been dispensed with? If any other possible way of procuring remission for sin could

have been discovered, they might have been dispensed with-and if they might have been dispensed with, what shall we think of him who still inflicted them? who has styled himself the Father of mercies, and who has said,—“ I do not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men without a cause?" This then, beyond all hesitation, demonstrates the indispensable necessity of these sufferings, and the truth of our proposition-remission of sin, and reception into favor, presupposes an atonement made.

Improvement.-1. Let us not be permitted to forget the great and glorious results of these various sufferings endured by the dying Redeemer. "For the

transgressions of his people was he stricken." he stricken." He was once offered to bear the sins of many, and to them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." His sufferings in their behalf has secured for them exemption from eternal suffering, and the enjoy. ment of eternal felicity. Let us behold the expense of the atonement, and consider the obligations under which we lie to him by whom it was made; and as we must regard him as the only medium of reconciliation with the Father. Let us likewise consider him as the great example set up for our imitation. He delighted to do the will of his heavenly Father, and his approval was the highest gratification which he could experience-and if perplexing cares and sorrows, if distress and outward misery should attend us in our course through life, let us remember that

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