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dent ray,

Thy mercy beams with full resplen-
And ope's the portals of eternal day.
Before thy throne I bow beneath thy

rod,

And own the arm and angry frown of God;

Thy

hand I feel, nor dare thy dreadful pow'r, Support me, God, in this tremendous

hour.

DOCTOR Timothy Todd, an eminent physician of Rutland in Vermont, riding at full speed to visit a patient dangerously sick, was thrown from his horse, broke his leg and wrenched the foot so as to dislocate it at the ankle. In this deplorable situation the Doctor remained near two hours before any assistance came. In the mean while he crawled to a rock by the side of a run of water, in which he laved the wounds and cleansed them from the clotted blood and the frag-ness of the ancient stoics; but he ments of his stocking which had who can enter into the dreadful agobeen impelled into them; and nies of the Doctor's distress must confess, that the serene fortitude and taking his instruments from his true magnanimity of the Christian, pocket, with astonishing forti-by far excel the boasted insensibility tude proceeded to take up a prin- of the stoic.

Whate'er my doom, whate'er my state may be,

Oh, grant me still to put my trust in thee.

Much has been vaunted of the firm

August 24.

Septem. 1.

Donations to the Missionary Society of Connecticut.
A Friend of Missions of Farmington,

A youg Lady of Vermont,

A Friend of Missions in Cayuga County, N. Y.
A Friend of Missions,

16. Enos Merrill, of Castleton, Vermont,

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Doll. 13 92

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A Dissertation on the atonement, would make the following ob

extracted from a manuscript written about twenty years ago, with a special reference to certain questions relative to this important doctrine, which were then a subject of considerable enquiry.

QUESTION. How is the scripture doctrine of Christ's atonement to be understood?

THE

servations.

I. The design of the atonement made by Christ was so to declare or manifest the righteousness of God, as would render it consistent with justice, for God to justify the sinner who believeth in Jesus. At least, this was one of the great ends to be answered by it.

This observation is, I think, sufficiently supported by the apostle's words in Rom. iii. 25, 26. "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness-that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." From these words it seems natural to conclude, that it would not have been consistent with justice, for God to have justified sinners, if Christ had not been set forth a propitiation, to declare his right

HE words propitiation and atonement are of the same signification. The apostle John tells us, that "God sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins," and says expressly," he is the propitiation for our sins." 1 John iv. 10. and ii. 2. There fore, the doctrine, that Christ hath made atonement, or that he is the propitiation for sins, is indisputably a scripture doc trine. But what this doctrine imports, or how it is to be under-eousness. And perhaps, from a stood, may be a question of some difficulty; as professing Christians have entertained different sentiments about it. To this question I shall now attempt an answer, and for this purpose VOL. VI. No. 5.

little attention to the subject, it may clearly appear, that this is the case. For if God, the supreme Lord and Ruler of the universe, to whom it belongs to take care of its interests, did not manifest W

great displeasure at sin, and take the most effectual measures to disccuntenance and condemn it, and to support his law, which requires perfect holiness, and forbids all sin, on a most dreadful penalty, he would, for ought that appears, do great injustice to himself and to the moral world in general.

ly to God and to the intelligent creation-the only principle, which will render to all their due, and be careful to injure or wrong none, and seek and rejoice in the greatest good of the system.

Sin, on the other hand, is, in its nature and tendency, an enemy to being in general. It withholds from God and from crea

ses them, and tends to universal misery and ruin.

Sin is a transgression of the law of God-of that law, which requires nothing but holiness, nothing but love with its genuine fruits and effects. Therefore all sin, the opposite to holiness, involves the nature of enmity. It sets up an interest different from and contrary to the glory of God and the general good. It with

Holiness, in its nature and tendency, is friendly to universal be-tures their due, injures and abuing-to God and to his creatures; it readily renders to all their due, and seeks and rejoices in the greatest universal good. Holiness consists in conformity to the divine law, which requires us to love God with all our heart and soul and mind; and to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is evident at first view, that this love will readily give to God the glory which is his due, and yield a cheerful, unreserved .obedi-holds from God the love, resence to his will. It will readily pect, honor and obedience due to glorify him as God. It will like him, and implicitly and practicwise readily render to creatures ally denies, that he is worthy of their due, and be careful to in- supreme love and perfect obedijure none; but to do to all as it ence: yea, by hating him, it imwould wish to be done by. This plicitly declares that he is an unlove will naturally and necessa-worthy and hateful being, and, rily seek, as its highest and last end, and rejoice in God's greatest glory in connection with the greatest happiness of the intelligent creation; that is, the greatest universal good. And if this love prevailed in perfection through all the ranks of intelligences, it would produce and be attended with universal unjon, peace, and harmony, and make all seek and rejoice in one cammon interest, and excite each individual to do his utmost to promote it. Hence, holiness ev- The evil of sin is infinite; idently is, in its nature and ten- and, therefore, the penalty andency, friendly to universal be-nexed to it in the divine law is ing; yea, it is the only disposi-just. tion or affection, which is friend

as much as in it lies, undeifies and dethrones him, and, if able, would dethrone and destroy him. It also with-holds from creatures their due, and treats them injuriously, to exalt and gratify itself and serve its own ends. And if sin universally prevailed, and reigned without restraint, it would throw the whole system into disorder and confusion, destroy or exclude all happiness, and produce universal misery and ruin. Hence,

From what hath now been ob

happiness of the intellectual world; that is, as though he was totally destitute of holiness, justice, and goodness, and accord. ing to the stupid sinner's tho'ts, altogether such an one as himself. But would such an idea of God be just? Infinitely far from it. And if he conducted in such a manner as to make it appear to creatures, as though he was such a being-in such a manner, as would afford just occasion for them to view him in this dishon

served of holiness, as a friend to being in general, and of sin, as a universal enemy, it manifestly is essential to the character of a perfectly holy, just, and good God, not only to love and take pleasure in holiness, but also to hate sin with perfect hatred. Infinite hatred of sin is the natural and necessary result of infinite holiness-of infinite goodness. It is evidently impossible that God should be perfectly holy and infinitely good, without hating sin, theorable light, he would, for ought universal enemy and destroy- that I can see, do infinite injuser, with perfect hatred. And therefore he cannot appear to be perfectly holy and good, without

tice to himself to his own character. And is it not as inconsistent with justice, for God to

appearing to be a perfect, irrecon-wrong and injure himself, as to cilable enemy to sin. Hence,

wrong and injure his creatures? Again,

As God is the head of the universe, and by natural, unde

If God did not, in some way or other, manifest great displeasure against all sin, and take the most effectual measures to dis-rived right, the proprietor and countenance and condemn it, to supreme Lord of the whole creprevent its universal prevalence ation, it belongs to him to take and the evils naturally resulting care of the interests of the whole therefrom, it would not appear system, comprehending himself to creatures that he is a holy, and created intelligences. Hence, just, and good being: it would If he did not in any way manappear as though he did not re-ifest great displeasure against gard his own glory, or the hap- sin, but conducted in such a piness of the moral world. If manner, as to afford just occahe did not discover great dis- sion for creatures to think, that pleasure at this universal enemy, he was not at all, or, at most, but which treats him with the great- little displeased with it, it ap est contempt, and seeks to de- pears to me, that he would greatthrone and destroy him, and to ly injure his creatures. Fer throw the whole intellectual sys- such conduct in the Deity, would tem into disorder, confusion, and manifestly tend to make crearuin, it would appear as though tures think, that sin is nowise he did not care how much dis- comparably so great an evil honor and contempt were cast in itself, and so pernicious and upon him, or how much disor-destructive in its tendency and der, confusion, and misery pre-consequences, as it really is; vailed among his creatures-as and thus serve to embolden though he loved neither himself, one after another to go into nor his creatures-as though he the commission and practice of had no regard for his own hon-sin, to their unspeakable damor, or for the well-being and age or utter ruin. Such a

conduct in the Deity would ap- | guarded with sanctions infinpear or seem to afford great enitely weighty and important? couragement to the commission If an earthly king knew what and practice of sin. And was conduct in his subjects was right God to conduct in such a manner, in itself, and best calculated to was he to manifest but little or secure and promote the comno displeasure at sin, it might mon interest and welfare of the naturally be expected, that the kingdom, and what conduct, on consequence would be universal the other hand, was wrong in itprevalence (among creatures) self, and naturally tended to of this most pernicious and dead- throw the kingdom into disorder ly evil, to the exclusion of all and confusion, and to work the true happiness, and the produc- overthrow and ruin of the whole; tion of universal misery and ru-if he was also duly invested with in. Hence, the supposition of authority sufficient to enjoin the God's manifesting but little or one and forbid the other, by law, no displeasure against sin, ap-under a penalty proportioned to pears to me to be utterly irreconcilable with the idea of his being just, either to himself, or to his creatures. Again,

the evil of disobeying it; and he nevertheless, neglected to do it, and left his subjects at full liberty, to pursue either the one course or the other, as might best suit their inclinations; we should naturally and necessarily conclude, that he was neither a

should, in words, enact such a law, but take no care to have it observed, or its penalty executed upon the disobedient, but leave them to go on, just as tho' there had been no such law, and thus virtually and practically set it aside, and render it of no more

From what has been illustrated, of holiness as friendly to being in general, and of sin as the universal enemy, it may ap-just, nor a good king. Or if he pear, that it is of the greatest importance, that such a law, as the divine law is, should exist and be supported—a law, which requires perfect holiness and forbids all sin under a most dreadful penalty. What can be of greater importance, than that moral beings should be held un-effect upon the minds of the subder obligation to the exercise and practice of that holiness, which is friendly to the moral world, and seeks and naturally tends to promote and rejoices in the greatest good; and to refrain from sin, the universal enemy and destroyer? Is it not then of vast importance, and do not his essential goodness, justice, and holiness require, that this law, which has its foundation in the nature of things, should be enjoined by God, the head and supreme governor of the universe, and enforced and

jects, than if it had never been enacted; we must still come in, to the same conclusion, that he was not a just or a good king. So if the divine law, which requires nothing but what tends to the well being and happiness of the moral world, and forbids nothing but sin, the universal enemy, and, in its natural tendency, productive of universal misery, was suffered to be transgressed with impunity; if God, the supreme governor, after revealing or enjoining it, should take no further care to have it

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