what one man would confer the same facts, taught the same upon another, by purchasing great truths, and its influence his liberty at an immense was essentially the same. It bore the same sort of relation to Christianity in its present state, as the twilight does to noon day. Till the fulness of time, when Christ himself was to appear in the world, the will of God was revealed only to the Jewish nation. He established among them his worship, and granted to them a succession of prophets. The worship of God, under that dispensation, abound price; or, to the benefit which a man, perfectly innocent himself, would confer upon one who was guilty, by dying in his stead. I am persuaded, my dear friend, that you will find, by carefully noticing the phraseology of scripture, that the unitarian view of the death of Christ will not at all accord with it; that such an interpretation of it is greatly forced, is, in fact, perfectly unnatural, and, that, if it be correct, it is impos-ed with sacrifices, and with sible to defend the sacred writers, from the charge of the most wretched ambiguity, and the most unwarrantable freedom of language, calculated to lead the whole world into the most egregious errors. I should not, I think, hesitate to allow the doctrine of atonement to be decided by this one consideration, the consideration arising from the general phraseology, of the sacred writers. various rites and observances, which, viewed apart from the Christian dispensation, appear, in a great degree, unsatisfactory and unmeaning. But, from the New Testament, we learn that these were shadows of good things to come; that they pos sessed no independent efficacy, but were intended to prepare for more glorious discoveries; that they shadowed forth the great medium of a sinner's access to God, together with the blessings of salvation, to be en But another reason for believing, that Christ died not as a martyr, simply, but, as a sa-joyed through faith, in the great crifice for sin, and that, by his and only available sacrifice that death, he made a true and pro-was to be offered up in the end per atonement, arises from the of the world; that these early nature of the Levitical economy, institutions were appointed to and its connection with the Chris- maintain a salutary sense of tian dispensation. Upon this, guilt and danger in the minds the apostle argues at great of men, and yet to support length in his epistle to the He- their hopes, and to assist their brews, which may be consi- faith in the great Redeemer who dered as a clear exposition of should be revealed in the fulthe Mosaic law, by which much ness of time. In short, we learn of its obscurity is done away. from various parts of the New The Jewish religion was not a Testament, and particularly distinct religion from Christia- from the Epistle to the Henity. It was Christianity, only brews, that the Jewish econoobscurely revealed. It implied mony was, strictly speaking, typical. It was the shadow was not possible for the blood and figure of a spiritual system. of bulls and of goats to take away sin, because, between the intrinsic worth of those sacrifices, and the demerit of sin, there was no comparison. On this account, the Jewish wor It prefigured the magnificent glories, and the substantial privileges, of the gospel dispensation. Upon this kind of connection between the ancient and the present dispensation, I may pre-shippers could place no desume, we are agreed, and, there-pendence upon them, and fore, no farther proof of it is necessary, than what may be contained in the passages of scripture, that may be incidentally quoted in the remaining part of this letter. would, therefore, be directed to look to a victim of sufficient dignity and value to justify their utmost dependence. These sacrifices were, however, efficacious, in cleansing from ceremonial pollutions, and, therefore, prefigured that sacrifice that should cleanse from all sin. Now, nothing can be more evident, than that, if there is this relation subsisting between the Mosaic and the Christian eco- But, if such was the nature nomy, there must be a general of the ancient sacrifices, and if resemblance traceable between they were symbolical of the the sign and the thing signified, death of Christ, (and that they the shadow and the substance, were, will not be denied, after the type and the antitype. And a careful and impartial perusal this resemblance is maintained of the Epistle to the Hebrews, in many declarations and allu- and other parts of scripture,) sions to be found in the New where, upon the principle of Testament. Thus, our Lord Christ dying merely as a marsays, As Moses lifted up the tyr, or with a view of setting us serpent in the wilderness, even an example, is the point of reso must the Son of Man be lifted semblance between his death, up. So also the institutions of and those sacrifices? Where is the cities of refuge, and the sa- the analogy between the type, crifices of the scape-goat, and and the antitype? Upon the the paschal-lamb, and others, socinian hypothesis, there is no are referred to in the New Tes- correspondence between them, tament, as pointing to the work either in their nature or design. of Christ, the offices he sus- That Christ was this antitype, tained, and the services he ren- and his death of the nature of dered the world. And, with a sacrifice for sin, is clearly eviour views of the death of Christ, dent from the following pasthere is a general analogy and sages: "He made his soul an correspondence between them. offering for sin; He poured out Now, the sacrifices of the Jew-his soul unto death; He was ish law were evidently symbolical of the death of Christ. They could not, indeed, purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God. It wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all; and, by his stripes, we are healed." Daniel prophecied, that he should be "cut off, but not for himself." The psalmist, when prophesying of the Messiah, represents him as thus addressing the Father: "Burnt offering, and sacrifice for sin, thou didst not require; a body hast thou prepared me: then said I, Lo! I come, to do thy will, O God." By the which will," says the apostle, "we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus, once for all." reply to this objection is of a different nature. If our Lord had, in clear and precise language, declared to the Jews, that, in putting him to death, they would only fulfil the end of his coming into the world, they, contemplating him as an impostor, would have defeated his design, and, however they might have imprisoned or otherwise punished him, they would not have put him to death. The New Testament, however, abounds with proofs of the doctrine in question. It is evidently alluded to by the Baptist, when he pointed out Christ to the multitude, as "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Here was a clear allusion to the lambs that were daily sacrificed in the temple. But, unless Christ, by his death, atoned for sin, there was no propriety what Now, if we believe Jesus to be the Messiah predicted in the Old Testament, we are bound to believe what the prophets declared, concerning the design of his incarnation. Christ appealed to what they had predicted, when he said to his disciples, "All things must be fulfilled which were spoken in the prophets and in the psalms, concerning me." But it appears, from the foregoing pas-ever in the allusion. sages, that this could not have been, had he not, by his death, effected our deliverance from the power and consequences of sin. As to the writings of the apostles, they so abound with references to this doctrine, as to make selections difficult. I will only quote two or three The doctrine, now contend-passages. ed for, is clearly intimated by Christ, and more fully by his apostles. It has, indeed, been objected, that this doctrine is not clearly revealed by Christ himself. On this objection, I may make two remarks; first, if our Lord did not formally declare it, he yet intimated it with sufficient clearness. This is evident from his language, which I have already quoted. "The Son of Man came to give his life a ransom for many." And again, "I lay down my life for the sheep." But the second "I determined to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. God forbid, that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Such a high priest became us.... who needed not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's, for this he did once, when he offered up himself.. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he en tered once, into the holy place, " And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing! Blessing, honour, glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Unto him that loved us, and having obtained eternal redemption for us. If the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ.... purge your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?" Again it is said, "He bare our sins, in his own body, on the tree. He was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He hath reconciled us to God with his own blood. Ye were not re-washed us from our sins in his deemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold.... but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." If the limits of this letter would allow a comment on the above passages, it would be unnecessary, as they are obviously conclusive upon the point under consideration. Nothing can be more evident, from the foregoing language of the apostles, than that, whatever we are indebted for to the life and instructions of Christ, our chief obligations are owing to his death. I shall beg your attention only to two points more, which I have room but to mention, without any enlargement. The first is this: That the love and rapture with which Christ is spoken of in the New Testament, is inconsistent with the idea of his living merely as an instructor, and dying merely as a martyr. Attend only to the adorations that it is declared are paid to him by glorified saints in the heavenly world. VOL. VII, own blood, unto him be glory.” Now, if Christ was a mere man, if he was only divinely com missioned to furnish us with a perfect system of morality, and clearly to announce divine forgiveness, and a future life; such language as the above is preposterous, and profane. But if he was the Son of God, and, by his voluntary humiliation and death, procured our eternal redemption, our loftiest praises fall infinitely short of our obligations. The only farther argument for the atonement which I shall state, is derived from the institution of the Lord's supper. This was appointed as a com memoration of Christ's death; not of his instructions, not of his example, but of his death; and that, not as an irreparable evil, for ever to be lamented, but as an event, upon which, as it procured our redemption from sin and from misery, we are bound to reflect with gratitude and joy. The bread, according to the words of the in 2 Y end; and no blood, of superior quality, need have been shed. But the apostle declares, that it was not possible that such sacrifices should take away sin. Again, a ransom implies an equivalent, for the person or thing redeemed. If so, there must be a proportion between the excellency of Christ's sacrifice, and the demerit of sin; but the latter is infinite; so therefore must be the former. And if the principles laid down in the last letter are true, you will perceive, that a sacrifice, of no less value than that of the Son of God, would so exhibit the evil of sin, and so magnify the divine law, as to justify God in receiving into his favour, those who plead, with humble and believing hearts, the atone stitution, is emblematical of his body broken for us; and the wine, of his blood shed for many for the remission of sins; and, in eating the bread, and drinking the cup, we are said to shew the Lord's death till he come.—I am at an utter loss to conceive, how the socinians can, consistently, attend to this institution. The bread represents Christ's body broken for us; and the wine, his blood shed for the remission of sins. But they have no such views of his death as these words imply. This institution commemorates his death. But on their principles we are benefited chiefly, if not exclusively, by his life. In short, they can never attend to this ordinance, in the spirit in which it was appointed; and I consider, that if other argument of his Son. Much more ments were wanting, this institution would, of itself, sufficiently establish the doctrine of the atonement. Thus, my dear friend, I have stated such arguments as occur to me, and that I can bring within the compass of a letter, to shew the consistency of the atonement with the divine perfections, and with the testimony of scripture. I had intended to have remarked, at some length, on the efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ, arising from his divinity; but, on that point, I must be content with a very few words. It certainly does not derive its efficacy merely from divine appointment; for, on that principle, any sacrifice would have availed, and intrinsic value is of no account. In which case, the blood of bulls, and of goats, would have answered the might be added; but, I fear, I of Your's, affectionately.` WALDENSIAN CHRISTIANS. "Before the rise of Luther and Calvin, there lay concealed, in almost all the countries of Europe, persons who adhered tenaciously to the principles of the modern Dutch Baptists."Mosheim's Eccl. Hist. cent. xvi. sect. iii. part ii. ch. iii. |