bers of Christian churches, rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God, who, but for this, had now been without hope and without God in the world." SECULAR. The following table shows the number of deaths in Paris from the cholera during the first 14 days in April: AS IT SHOULD BE. We are glad to learn from the National Intelligencer, that the city authorities are going to apply the civil law to Houston and Heard. The Intelligencer says the Grand Jury for the County of Washington has found bills of indictment against Messrs. Houston and Heard, for assaults on Messrs. Stanberry and Arnold, with intent to kill. Heard is in jail, and Houston will undoubtedly be immediately arrested, unless he flees again to the Indian country. -Courier. AGENTS. RHODE-ISLAND, Providence-Yates & Richmond, No. S, Market square. Pawtucket, (North Providence)-Joseph McIntire, Bookseller. New-BedAmherst MASSACHUSETTS. Boston-Dea. James Loring, Bookseller, No. 132, Washington-street. Taunton-Deacon John Reed. ford-Stephen Potter. Reading-James Weston Jr. Thomas Hervy. Falmouth-Capt. Silas Weeks. CONNECTICUT. Ashford-Rev. Israel G. Rose. NEW-YORK. Paris-Charles Simmons. NEW-JERSEY. Newark.-Amos Holbrook. All those ministers, who receive the Magazine, are authorized and requested to act as agents. Published at Rehoboth Village. Mass. by Rev. Otis Thompson, Editor and Proprietor. POSTAGE OF THIS PAPER.-Under 100 miles, 1 cent: Over 100 miles 1 1-2 cents. Tracts. W. & H. REED, Taunton, Mass. are agents for the American ⚫ and Doctrinal Tract Societies, and have a general assortment constantly for sale at their store nearly opposite the Taunton Bank. Printing. EPRINTING in good style and on reasonable terms. DMUND ANTHONY, Taunton, Mass. will execute BOOK Main street, near the Green. Office in June 30, 1881. HOPKINSIAN MAGAZINE. VOL. IV.] July 31, 1832. [NO. 10. [We commend the following Sermon to the attentive perusal of our readers. It sheds light on a very important subject, respecting which, some distinguished Ministers seem, even to this hour, to be involved in palpable darkness. We think it one of the most valuable discourses we have received from the pen of the venerable Author.] SERMON. But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.-1 PETER i. 18. THE apostle Peter wrote this epistle to christians in general, throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, with a principal design to encourage and animate them to perform the duties and endure the trials of their pilgrimage on earth. Accordingly, he reminds them of their glorious hope of a future and eternal inheritance, reserved for them in hẽaven. He next turns their attention to their absent and invisible Redeemer, whom they had professed to love, and in whom they supremely rejoiced. But to make them more sensibly feel their strong and endearing obligations to pass the time of their sojourning here in fear, he tells them that " they knew that they were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold,-but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." The paschal lamb was a type of Christ, and for this reason, when John saw Jesus coming to him, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." The paschal lamb was to be perfect, and without blemish. This was designed to denote the immaculate purity and moral perfection of the life of Christ. And this is what is meant in the text, by his being a lamb without blemish and without spot. But it is worthy of peculiar notice here, that the apostle does not intimate to christians that they had been redeemed by his pure and spotless life, but by his precious blood, or vicarious death. It was not the perfect, unblemished form of the paschal lamb, that made the ceremonial atonement, nor was it the unblemished and unspotted obedience of Christ, that made the atonement for the sins of That it was not the perfect obedience, but the blood of I. Show in what Christ's perfect obedience consisted. II. Show that he made no atonement by his obedience. And III. Show that he did make a complete atonement by his blood. ent. I. I am to describe the obedience of Christ, or show in what it consisted. Christ repeatedly professed to be perfectly obedi He said, "I come not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me." Again he said, "The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him." And the very day before his death, he said to his Father, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” “He was perfectly holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sianers," through the whole course of his life. From the beginning to the end of his life, he never deviated from the path of duty, in a single instance. For, 1. He perfectly obeyed the moral law, which required him to love both God and man. He actually and constantly loved God supremely, and he as constantly loved mankind with pure and perfect benevolezce. When he was a child, he obeyed his parents. When he was a man, he obeyed the laws of the land, and gave to Cæsar the things that were Cæsar's. He labored from day to day, and from year to year, in a lawful calling; and every day perfectly performed the duties of the day. He was indefatigably industrious, and labored even to weariness. 2. He perfectly obeyed the ceremonial law. He attended the Passover with great punctuality and strictness. He submitted to be baptised by John, and urged this reason for it, that "it became him to fulfil all righteousness." As a Jew, he was holden to observe all the rites and ceremonies of divine appoint. ment; though he resolutely refused to obey the traditions of the elders, which were repugnant to the laws of God. But lest his refusing to observe the vain traditions which the Scribes and Pharisees so superstitiously observed, he declared that “he came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfil them." He paid as strict a regard to every divine right and ceremony, as to every precept of the moral law. Let him be in what part of Judea he would, he never failed to go up to the temple in at he should offer himself often. For then must he often ave suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once the seed of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by ie sacrifice of himself." In all these passages, the apostle epresents Christ as making atonement agreeably to the types nder the Old Testament, which was by shedding of blood. And he plainly and repeatedly asserts, that Christ made atoneent by one act, by one sacrifice, by one instance of suffering, y one death, by once shedding his blood. This confines his tonement to his blood, in distinction from his life of perfect bedience. And it is further to be observed, that the apostle n this epistle to the Hebrews, professes to explain both the ypes and predictions of Christ's atonement in the Old Testament. Daniel predicted, "That Messiah should be cut off, but not for himself." Isaiah predicted, that "Christ should pour out his soul unto death, and make his soul an offering for sin." Caiphas predicted, that it was "Necessary that one man should DIE for the people, that the whole nation perish not." It was his idea of atonement, that it could be made only by death. Now, that we have given the true sense of the passages cited, will appear, if we consider the necessity of an atonement, in order to God's consistently pardoning and saving sinners. The necessity of atonement was founded in the vindictive justice of God. It become God to manifest his perfect hatred of sin, and his disposition to punish it. Ile could not display mercy at the expense of justice. He must appear to be just, as well as merciful, in forgiving those who deserved to be punished. But how could this be done? God only knew how. He knew, that by the incarnation of the Second Person in the Godhead, he could be put in a situation to die for sinners, and by his death declare the righteousness of God, that he might be just, and the justifier of believing, penitent, returning sinChrist accordingly came into the world to give his "life a ransom for many”—to die "the just for the unjust, that he might bring them to God." Accordingly, as the apostle says in the text, he redeemed them by his precious blood. His blood made a complete atonement for sin, or rendered it consistent for a holy and just God to forgive and save perishing and illdeserving sinners. ners. HEADS OF IMPROVEMENT. 1. We hence see why Christ instituted the Sacrament as a He did. "And as they we memorial of his death alone.* eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and ga it to his disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. A he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying. Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the New Testames which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Now, if was the death of Christ alone, that made atonement, then the ought to be remembered and celebrated in a peculiar manner 2. If it was not the obedience, but the blood of Christ, that made atonement for sin, then nothing Christ did, or said, & suffered from his birth to the day of his death, or his last salferings, was of a propitiatory, satisfactory, or atouing nature Many divines have considered the whole life of Christ, frem his birth to his death, as constituting the two parts of his atore ment-or his active and passive obedience-or his satisfaction to divine justice, and his meriting salvation for believers. But there appears no ground in Scripture for the distinction be tween the satisfaction of Christ and the merits of Christ. It was impossible that he should merit any thing from God, either as man or as mediator-either by his obedience, or by his sufferings. The truth is, his obedience only prepared him to make atonement-and his blood made it-and atonement did neither satisfy nor merit-it only rendered it consistent for God to show mercy. 3. If Christ did not make atonement by his obedience, but by his blood, then we may justly conclude, that what the Scripture calls the righteousness of Christ, means the same as his suffering death-and nothing else. 4. If Christ made atonement by his blood, and not by his obedience, then that for which he was rewarded, was not that for which sinners are pardoned. They are pardoned for his death-but he was rewarded for his life, or his obedience, even unto death. This was acceptable to God-but was not the atonement. 5. If Christ made atonement by his blood, and not by his obedience, then his atonement has not dissolved or weakened the obligation of christians to pay perfect obedience to the divine law. His obedience had no merits to procure their sal vation. 6. If Christ has redeemed saints by his precious blood, then • This Sermon was preached on Communion-day. |