interests, by simplifying and rendering more intelligible those truths which lead to practical christianity, and to happiness and heaven.

SECTION I.

The design or object of the Atonement was to arrest or SUSPEND the stroke of justice, and to procure for the violators of God's holy law, an opportunity of repentance and salvation, under a dispensation of unparalled forbearance and favour.

To those who have bestowed the least attention on the subject, the truth of this proposition will appear so evident, as to require very little to be said in the way of illustration or proof. We shall at present, therefore, only make a few remarks tending to show that the design of God in redemption, was not absolutely to secure the salvation of the human race, either by Christ's yielding perfect obedience to the law which they ought to have obeyed; or, by suffering the entire penalty, which they ought to have suffered; but to place them in circumstances, under which they should be favoured with another trial, and have an opportunity of being saved in a way perfectly consistent with their moral nature, and with the law or government which they are under to Christ.

That the sentence of the law, in reference to the future consequences of sin, has not been set aside, but only suspended, by the atonement of Christ, will appear evident from various considerations,

1. It would be utterly impossible to reconcile the plain and united testimony of the inspired writers with any other view of the subject. We learn from the scriptures, as noticed already,* that the redeemer gave his life a sacrifice, or ransom, for the life of all sinners; or, to use the language of the apostle, that "he by the grace of God, tasted death for every man ;" but where is it written that he has removed the other consequences of our transgressions? On the contrary, all those threatenings, warnings, and admonitions,-every invitation of mercy, and every promise of pardon, contained in the bible, are so many evidences to the sinner, that so far from divine justice being satisfied on his account, he is still under the wrath of a sin-avenging God, and in the utmost peril of being banished for ever to the regions of eternal misery and despair. Now, all this is perfectly consistent, on the ground that the sentence of the law has only been suspended for a season; to be carried into effect, if the sinner persists in his rebellious course; or, to be fully removed, by an act of divine clemency, if he repent and turn from his evil ways. But, on the supposition that Christ has discharged all claims and penalties of law and justice, to which the sinner stood obnoxious, *Chapter ii. Section iii,

the whole is involved in the most perplexing obscurity; and we must for ever despair of arriving at any thing like a satisfactory and consistent interpretation of the holy scriptures. Nay, for all practical purposes, it would be a most unmeaning and useless book. But, happily,

2. Our position is established on the testimony furnished by the experience of all mankind. An abiding conviction pervades all ranks of society that, in consequence of sin-our own personal sin, we are all under the dread frown of Jehovah; and not unfrequently does that conviction heighten into awful despairation, in view of a coming judgement and a future state! Now it is scarcely probable, that the bible and our own conscience would unite to bear a false witness on a subject so vitally important to the best intérests of mankind. It is not credible, that they would unite to testify that God is angry with us, and that our state is one of the utmost danger, if it were not so. Such a supposition would be a reflection on Him, under whose inspiration the bible was written; and who is the author of our being—of all our physical, mental, and moral powers. We fear no contradiction, when we affirm, that the universal testimony of human consciousness is opposed to the doctrine, that Christ suffered the full penalty of the law for man. Because every person, whatever he may have been taught to believe, feels assured that, less or more, God is displeased with him, on account of his misconduct; and is perfectly unable to shake off the fears of a

judgement to come, unless, by some act of Deity, yet to be done for him, he shall obtain a reversal of the sentence of condemnation. This experience is altogether unaccountable, if the doctrine we oppose be true; for if a perfect satisfaction has been rendered to divine justice, in man's behalf, there can be no reason of alarm-no ground of apprehension whatever: this would suppose that the full claims of justice had not been met; which would be to yield the point for which we contend. The argument taken from experience, may therefore be drawn into a narrow compass. Our consciousness of guilt and danger, must either be in accordance with truth, or it is altogether a delusion. If it be a delusion, it follows, not only that sin may be committed with impunity, seeing that it brings neither real guilt nor condemnation; but also, that our consciousness is a deceitful guide, and never to be trusted when religion and morals are concerned. But if our convictions of guilt and danger be in accordance with truth-if a knowledge of personal guilt and danger can be acquired by conscious experience only—if it be nothing more or less than a conviction of what our own misconduct deserves, then may we appeal, with confidence, to the experience of all men, whether any satisfaction, or atonement, has been made for sin, beyond an arrest of the uplifted hand of justice -beyond a suspension of the law, and an opportunity of obtaining mercy and salvation, in accordance with the terms and provisions of the new and better covenant? A belief, therefore, that Christ, by his sufferings and

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death, has discharged all our debt of obligation, can never accord with our convictions of guilt and danger.

3. The fact, that all men need forgiveness, is another proof of the absurdity of the doctrine which is opposed in these pages; and proves that the notion, that "Christ has redeemed us out of the hands of offended justice, and from all the condemnation and misery incurred by our sins, by taking them upon himself and bearing them in our stead," is unsupported by scripture or reason—is a mere figment of human invention! Thousands entertain the idea that God is perfectly satisfied with all those whom the Saviour undertook to redeem; viewing them as having obeyed the law, and as having suffered its penalty, in their surety; and that the only reason why they need forgiveness is, that they themselves may be satisfied of their personal interest in him! Not that they were in any more danger before they were pardoned, than they were after; only it was necessary that they should have a sense of pardon in order to their individual satisfaction and comfort!! To such pitiful views of the grand apostolical doctrine of justification, are we conducted by the dogmas of those who would be wise above what is written.

4. Nor can the scheme of a legal atonement ever be reconciled with our ideas of a day of judgement; and especially with those awfully sublime representations of it, which are to be found in the discourses of Christ and