be made an object of worship: "being ignorant" [it continues]" that we could never either leave Christ, who suffered for the salvation of all who are saved in the whole world, the sinless for sinners, nor worship any other." And in the conclusion of the martyr's prayer, sent up by him from the midst of the flames, it is said "Wherefore, for all things I praise thee, I bless thee, I glorify thee, with the eternal and heavenly Jesus Christ: with whom, to thee and the Holy Spirit, be glory both now and through all ages. Amen." In contrariety to these express testimonies, it has been alleged, that in the times to which they belong, there were in Judea two bodies of professing Christians-the Ebionites and the Nazarenes-who were in the belief of the mere humanity of Christ. The allegation has been proved to be groundless, as it concerns the Nazarenes; and it is acknowledged on both sides, that the two sects retained the observance of the law of Moses, in contrariety to all the notices of the abrogation of it, abounding in the New Testament. If then the Nazarenes were indeed what they are represented to have been on the other side; the inference would be, that within a century after the crucifixion, the leading truth of the Christian system, remaining only with two small sects, who held an absurd compound of Judaism and Christianity, had become lost in all the Churches gathered from among the Gentiles, and even among the mass of professing Christians in Judæa itself. On the supposition of this, to what purpose are the many splendid prophecies of a Church to be gathered from among all nations; and how little fruit accrued from what gave occasion to that saying of St. Paul concerning the preaching of the apostles, that "their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world."* Even on the mistaken ground of the matter affirmed, the argument proves too much, and therefore nothing. The above is here believed to be a correct, although Rom. x. 18. a concise statement of the evidences of the divinity of the Saviour of the world, as they are found in scripture; and in primitive antiquity, so far as the fact has a bearing on the sense of scripture. And it ought to be noted, that the doctrine being considered merely as an article of the apostles' creed, there have been carefully avoided all terms and metaphysical refinements, introduced into theology after the third century; and levelled against the errour of the Arians. The subtlety and the misapplied philosophy of this people, gave occasion to the opposing of their distinctions, by others of the same metaphysical description: and it will not be here said, that they were not imitated by the advocates of the truth, to a very great extreme. SECTION II. OF THE PROPITIATORY SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. The truth to be maintained, may be found in the Greek word,* on which the title of the present section is built. The word is rendered "propitiation" in Rom. iii. 25. In the Old Testament, it answers to the Hebrew wordt which denotes the mercy seat between the two cherubims in the Jewish temple; on which there was sprinkled the blood of the victims slain in sacrifice. By a figure of speech, the person of the Redeemer is thus made the true mercy seat, typified by the other; being the medium, by which sinful men may draw nigh to a reconciled God. This analogy between the appointed use of the mercy seat, and the efficacy of the passion of the redeemer, was within the view of St. Peter, where he speaks of " the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:" And the same must have been contemplated by St. Paul, where he + 1 i. 2. Πλαστήριον. כפרת * uses the language-" the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Abel."* It is not uncommon, to endeavour to discredit the doctrine, by confounding it with the position, that the Great Father of men and angels is a wrathful being, without any such property as placability, attached to the perfection of his nature. Well may such a sentiment be pronounced unscriptural, on the ground of what we read" God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life;" and"The grace of God, bringing salvation to all men hath appeared."+ The contrary to these and the like assurances of the mercy of God, as an essential attribute of his being, is not held by the maintainers of the doctrine of the propitiatory sacrifice for sin. And although they perceive no obligation resting on them, of deducing a rationale of the doctrine from reasonings "a priori" concerning the divine nature; yet they deny the allegation made against their theory, that it involves an im peachment of the benevolence of God. That he is a holy being, and that sin is opposed to his perfections and a rebellion against his authority, is agreed on both sides. It is as foreign to the purpose to contend, that he might pardon it without such a substitution; as to say, that he might put a stop to moral evil, without the many miseries both of mind and body, which we perceive to be entailed on it. Certainly this point has occasioned embarrassment to many, who were too much addicted to speculate on subjects beyond the reach of mortal minds: and the hope of solv. ing the resulting difficulties, has been the parent of many abominable theories. It may be said, that what is evil in itself may be over-ruled to good, by the wise Being who permitted it. This is, indeed, the proper solution of the difficulty. But let a similar mode of Tit. ii. 11. *Heb. xii. 24. Marginal reading. ↑ John iii, 16. reasoning be allowed on the present subject: and then, who will presume to say, that the honour of the moral government of God may not finally be promoted by a dispensation, which, without disparaging his attribute of mercy, shows in the strongest point of view the deadly nature of sin, as a breach of the order of the universe? This may be called an argument drawn from human ignorance: but it is fairly opposed to a species of argument, bottomed on the presumed knowledge of those depths of the divine counsels which are beyond our reach. The question, however, remains-Is the doctrine spoken of really taught in the Scriptures? The maintainers of it contend, that it pervades those books, from the beginning of the Old Testament to the end of the New. That the harmony between them may be the more distinctly seen, it will be proper to take a few of the many authorities of the New Testament; and then to fetch their true sense from the other department of the Bible, on which it is made dependent. "The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."*"Being high priest that year" [meaning Caiaphas] "he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that he should gather together in one, the children of God which are scattered abroad."+ " Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." "By whom we have received the atonement" [or reconciliation.] "The blood of Jesus Christ his son, cleanseth us from all sin." "He is the propitiation for our sins." God "sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."** The above are a few of the many texts, which are to the purpose; and are produced, principally to show the light which they derive from the sacrifices under the law. These are over and over said to make atone * Mat. xx. 28. § Ib. iv. 25. ↑ John xi 51, 52. + Rom. iii, 25. ** Ib. iv. 10, ment: which the Septuagint translates into Greek, by the word* translated in some of the preceding texts by the English word-" propitiation." In relation to the burnt-offering and the sin-offering, "Moses said unto Aaron, go unto the altar and offer thy sin-offering and thy burnt-offering, and make atonement for thyself and for the people; and offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them as the Lord commanded."t So in another place, in relation to the trespass offering--"There shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation, when he" [Aaron] "goeth to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel." This is a very remarkable passage, taken in its connexion; which gives an account of Aaron's confessing of the sins of the children of Israel over the head of the hegoat, who was to carry them into the wilderness. It is well known, that the book of Leviticus, in which the texts recited from the Oid Testament are found, abound with the like: and yet, such sacrifices did not begin with the Mosaick economy, but were offered under that of the patriarchs; and were even begun on the expulsion from Paradise; as we find from the offerings of Cain and Abel.|| There is even reason to believe, that the sacrifice of the latter derived its acceptance from its being a sin-offering; whereas the other was a mere acknowledgment of the dominion of God over the creatures. This sentiment is much coun. tenanced by what is said-" If thou dost well, shalt thou not be accepted; and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door." The Hebrew word** translated + Lev ix 7. Ib. xvi. 17. * Γλασμος. S The force of this is thought to be avoided, by the cir cumstance that the scape-goat was not killed, and yet is said to make atonement. But the two goats should be considered as constituting one offering, both of them being presented before the Lord. Gen. iv. 3. 4. ¶ Verse 6. |