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implies-" that we cannot approach God without a sacrifice—a sacrifice on the part of human nature in union with that of our Saviour." *

Fully to unravel the tissue of error which pervades the preceding extracts, would occupy too much time. But as they relate to a doctrine which is the cornerstone of the fabric of Christianity, they must not be passed over altogether unnoticed.

When it is considered that, four thousand years before the great vicarious sacrifice was offered up on the cross, expiatory oblations were introduced, most probably, (as I have already remarked) in consequence of some specific mandate from heaven ;-when it is further considered that the practice of making them was not only perpetuated, through the patriarchal succession, but became mixed up with all the idolatries of Paganism, and was incorporated with the Jewish economy;-when these facts are duly weighed, it does, indeed, seem a startling proposition to affirm,-after the Son of God, who was both the Priest and the Victim, had fulfilled all that had been prefigured and foretold, and, amidst the shaking of the earth, the rending of the rocks, the obscuration of the sun, and the rifting of the veil of the temple, proclaimed to the world—It is finished †—that

* Tracts for the Times, No. 80, pp. 74. 75.-See Appendix, vii.

+ The reader will find the following beautiful and impressive apostrophe in Bishop Hall's justly celebrated "Passion Sermon ;"-" Hear this, thou languishing and afflicted soul! There is not one of thy sins, but it is paid for; not one of thy debts in the scroll of God, but it is crossed; not one farthing of all thine infinite ransom is unpaid. Alas! thy sins, thou sayest, are ever before thee, and God's indignation goes still over thee; and thou

it is contrary to the teaching of scripture to give prominence to the doctrine of the atonement.

Such, at least, was not the mode of expounding scripture which was adopted by him, who could not err in its interpretation. At the mysterious interview which he had with two of his disciples, immediately after he was risen from the dead, he took occasion to rectify the errors, under which they laboured, by elucidating from the writings of the Old Testament, the astonishing facts of which they had recently been witnesses. He found that all their thoughts and conversation were engrossed by the absorbing interest of the events which had just occurred. Perceiving that their spirits were saddened and dejected by the frustration of those hopes of national glory and preeminence, which they had always been accustomed to associate with the manifestation of their expected Messiah, he reproved them for their weakness and unbelief, and corrected their misapprehensions by an appeal to the scriptures. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these

goest mourning all the day long, and with that pattern of distress, criest out, in the bitterness of thy soul-I have sinned, what shall I do to thee, O thou preserver of men ?-What should'st thou do?-Turn and believe. Now thou art stung in thy conscience with this fiery serpent look up with the eyes of faith to this brazen serpent, Christ Jesus, and be healed. Behold, his head is humbly bowed down in a gracious respect to thee: his arms are stretched out lovingly to embrace thee; yea, his precious side is open to receive thee, and his tongue interprets all these to thee for thine endless comfort; it is finished. There is no more accusation, judgment, death, hell for thee: all these are no more to thee, than if they were not: Who shall condemn? It is Christ which is dead."-Bishop Hall's Works. Pratt's edition. vol. v. p. 39.

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things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures, the things concerning himself. * Can

* In the account given by St. Luke, in the ninth chapter of his Gospel, of our Lord's transfiguration, the Evangelist states that, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias; who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. As the subjects of discourse were undoubtedly upon both occasions the same, the learned Dr. Lightfoot, n a sermon upon these words, has connected the two passages together. The following are portions of his comment upon them, which may be regarded as strictly applicable to the point under discussion.-" Remember that Moses here is the law, and Elias the prophecy, and you have here an emblem of the Scriptures, which is, that lex atque omnis prophetarum chorus Christi prænotat passionem,' that the law, and all the glorious company of the prophets, foretel Christ's passion in their books; as, now Moses the giver of the law, and Elias the chief of the prophets, do speak to him mouth to mouth, and talk of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.—This passion-sermon of Christ, made by Moses and Elias here, Christ himself makes the rehearsal of, Luke xxiv. 27. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them, in all the Scriptures, the things concerning himself. I can hardly hold wishing, as before, oh! that this rehearsal might have come to us, or we come to this rehearsal!—But we have already what we ask; for, as our Saviour in the parable, Luke xvi. 29, we have Moses and the prophets still, let us hear them: for, as St. Paul, concerning the blood of Abel, they even still, though in silence; yet do preach concerning Christ and his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem."-Lightfoot's Works. Pitman's edit. vol. vi. pp. 200, 201. That nothing may be wanting to illustrate and confirm the fundamental truth contained in these words, or to expose and refute the opposite error, I will here subjoin the admirable exposition of them given by the present excellent Bishop of Chester, in his most useful and edifying lectures on the Gospels." Here then is proof, if proof were needed, of the great object of the incarnation. The subject which these conversed on, was not the bringing more clearly to man's knowledge a future state of immortality, though life and immortality were brought to light by the Gospel; neither was it the stronger enforcement of the great rules of righteousness, though he did enforce these as the end of the commandment: but what they spake of was, his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem: the propitiation by which he should atone for sin, and reconcile man to God. This is what interested Moses and Elias, the things which angels desire to look into: the things belonging to our redemption. To this, therefore, our attention must

we, then, entertain any doubt relative to the manner in which our Saviour applied to himself the types and prophecies of the Old Testament? Must we not infer, without hesitation, that the doctrine of the atonement, as prefigured by the sacrificial rites of the Levitical law, and especially by the solemn anniversary of the great day of atonement, which was enjoined in that law, formed a leading and prominent topic of his communication with his two disciples on this deeply interesting occasion? Have we not every reason to suppose that our blessed Lord would especially insist upon the predictions contained in the fifty-third Chapter of the Prophet Isaiah, which refer to his humiliation, sufferings, and death, and to the end which was to be by them fulfilled ;-in the same manner as Philip opened his mouth to the Treasurer of Queen Candace and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus?

But what shall be said of the allegation, that St. Paul meant by preaching Christ crucified directly the opposite to the modern notion of the atonement, vix.: our own crucifixion, in the mortification of the flesh? Is it not a strange paralogism to confound the effect with the cause, the duty with the motive,-and, because St. Paul was enabled, by beholding the cross of Christ with the eye of faith, to trample the world under his feet, and to crucify his flesh, with its affections and lusts; to argue, that, when he gloried in that cross, it was not because thereon the glorious work of human redemption

first be fixed; how Christ once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God."-Exposition of the Gospel of St. Luke. Vol. i. p. 192.

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was achieved, and an adequate atonement was made for his own sins, and for those of all mankind-but because he thence derived the most powerful inducements to strive after a conformity to his Saviour's divine example?

The passages, upon which I have already animadverted, are, in my estimation, replete with error. When, however, the writer proceeds to state "that we cannot approach God without a sacrifice-a sacrifice on the part of human nature in union with that of our Saviour," I shall leave such an assertion, without any comment, to your own reflections,

The truth is that the leading argument, which pervades the Tract in question, is sophistical and fallacious. It pleased God to exhibit some measure of reserve in his communications with those to whom he vouchsafed to make himself and his future counsels known. He saw fit to impart the light of revelation in a gradual and progressive manner, and to veil some of its sublimest truths in types and shadows, till the time appointed for their full disclosure had arrived. It seemed good, also, to the Son of God, in whom were hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, to practise, to a certain extent, a similar reserve, and to make known the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven to a select few, whom he had chosen to be the depositaries of those mysteries, and whose minds he had prepared for their reception. These examples are proposed for our imitation. So that, forsooth, because such a procedure was adopted by infallible wisdom, before the complete development of

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