wrath of God, or demands of divine justice. All the Apostles, excepting St. Paul, are chargeable with a total silence, concerning what is deemed so important an article as the atonement, or expiatory sacrifice, for none of them use the terms that can appear in any respect equivalent, excepting this Apostle. Nor does he speak copiously upon the subject, excepting in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Thus are the Hebrews the only Christian converts who have been made perfectly acquainted with all the important doctrines of Christianity! This is the more extraordinary, as St. Paul was professedly the Apostle of the Gentiles!

3. The great diversity of expressions, used by different Apostles, some adopting one mode, some another, is perfectly correspondent with that diversity of manner which may be adopted with great propriety, in expatiating upon doctrines already known, and representing their importance in different points of view, but they are not calculated to establish principles which were unknown before; and whoever examines the passages to which we refer, will find that every one of them are urged as arguments or motives, and not didactically laid down, as essential articles of faith.

4. This being the fact, it is natural to expect a more copious use of varied phraseology, from the most animated, copious, and zealous of the Apostles; and this was eminently the character of St. Paul, who has made a much more extensive use of such phrases than any other Apostle; and without his writings the sentiments concerning the atonement, we are now opposing, could not have existed. If such sentiments be true, he is the only

one who has fully preached the genuine doctrines of the gospel!

5. In our philosophical treatise, we took occasion to remark that the language of the passions and affections is totally different from that of simple precept, and cool investigation. When the passions are raised, or the affections strongly engaged, the language becomes impetuous and vigorous, according to the strength of the emotion. The imagination eagerly catches at those points of resemblance, which are most favourable to the interesting subject agitated; whereas the language of investigation is plain and simple, carefully avoiding metaphorical allusions, which are not for the immediate purpose of elucidation. The style of our great Apostle singularly illustrates these remarks. Where he persuades, encourages, admonishes, and reproves, and is animated with the subject in debate, no man is more figurative; and it is the ardent impetuosity of his mind, which sometimes rendered him obscure to his contempories, and not unfrequently to more modern readers. But the language of no man is more simple, unadorned, and intelligible, than in his narrative of facts, or in his didactic instructions. We might adduce as instances, the conspicuous manner in which he taught the essential principles of Christianity, in his travels; the plain and simple manner in which he recommends the commemoration of the death of his Lord and Master; but his Epistle to Timothy and Titus, are so illustrative of our subject that they demand a moment's attention.

As these disciples were young men of sincere piety, and docile minds, requiring neither persuasion nor

reprehension, but simply instruction in the leading doctrines or principles of their future ministry, he addresses them in the most plain and simple language; and it is most worthy of notice, that in these Epistles that peculiar phraseology is not to be found, which is the basis of the sentiments we are opposing; nor any other which conveys similar ideas.

These could not have been omitted if such sentiments were essential to the Christian creed; for he is professedly giving instructions to young converts, in order to prepare them for preaching the gospel. The only doctrinal points mentioned in the first Epistle to Timothy are the following: "this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. .”*---“ God our Saviour will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth; for there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, whereunto I am ordained preacher, and an Apostle, a teacher of the Gentiles in truth and verity."+"We trust in the living God who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe."‡

a

In the second Epistle to Timothy, all the doctrines mentioned are in the following passage: "God, who has saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus, before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death,

1 Tim. i. 15.

+ Ibid. ii. 4. 7.

Ibid. iv. 8.

and hath brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel.'

The only doctrines, or rather principal facts, which as Christians we are required to believe, for in the language of the New Testament the word doctrine always relates to Christian duties, and not to particular opinions---the only articles pertaining to the Christian faith mentioned in the Epistle to Titus, are the following: "But after that the kindness and love of God towards man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."‡

Such are the principles and such the language of this highly figurative writer, when he means to instruct in the essential articles of our faith!

6. It is confidently asserted, that the sacrifices instituted under the law were typical of the sacrifice of Christ; and their atoning virtue is ascribed to this cause. But we may ask how can this statement agree with the total omission of most of the Apostles to mention so important a circumstance? No one mentioned this as an article of faith in their first establishment of Christianity. No one, excepting St. Paul, forms a comparison between the sacrifices under the law, and the death of our Saviour; nor do any of his references express the sentiments adopted by our opponents. He simply mentions to the

Corinthians, that "Christ our passover was sacrificed for us." When he exhorts the Ephesians, "Be ye followers of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering, and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour;" he makes no mention of his having appeased the divine wrath, or satisfied the demands of divine justice : and when, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, a comparison is made between the death of Christ, and the sacrifices under the law, the attention of the writer is confined to the inefficacy of the Jewish sacrifices to answer a permanent purpose, in which they differed essentially from the sacrifice of him, who died "once for all," for the benefit of mankind.

The argument urged in favour of the hypothesis that the sacrifices under the law were typical of the death of Christ; and that as these were decidedly sacrifices of atonement, it follows that the death of Christ must be an atonement for sin, is specious, but when closely examined it will appear too feeble to support the hypothesis.

When it is said that the sacrifices under the law, were typical of the death of Christ, the idea conveyed is, that they were promissory or prophetic tokens. But surely if this were the object, it would have been stated in some part of the Old Testament. Moses, the great institutor of these sacrifices, speaks no such language; the ancient Jews knew nothing of this characteristic; the modern Jews disregard it ; and to Christians it is entirely useless !

The argument is solely founded upon one occasional