and beggarly elements'.1 The lustre thrown upon the ritual atonements by the general purposes of the Mosaic dispensation, and the means by which these were brought about, together with the general splendour of the ceremonial institutions, would make the correspondence very impressive and striking to a Jew: but the tracing of this correspondence seems to me only to have led the Gentile Christians away from the spiritual objects of the Christian sacrifice, and the spiritual nature of that service which is required from him.

That which in modern systems of divinity is attributed to the death of Christ in itself considered, without reference to the Divine mercy and declarations, is in the Scriptures attributed to that event, as the means through which God, in His all-wise providence, saw fit to communicate the blessings of the Gospel; as the only means by which our revered Saviour could accomplish the purposes for which he was sent; as the most costly (as well as effectual) sacrifice he could make for the spiritual welfare of the human race.2 Those therefore who have been sanctified or purified from their sins, through the influence of gospel principles and motives, have been sanctified or purified through the death of Christ; and hence, by a beautiful metaphor, they are said to be washed from their sins in the blood of Christ. That his blood or death purifies the

1 Gal. iv. 9.

2 The moral merit of the death of Christ and its consequences, are not to be confounded.

sinner, by any secret, mysterious, miraculous efficacy, we are not informed by revelation, and we cannot know it without; that the hopes and prospects, the motives and principles of the Gospel, do effect our spiritual purification or sanctification, we know; and as we should not have possessed them but for his obedience unto death, it is a representation alike just and impressive, to speak of that purification as brought about by or through the blood or death of Christ.-And this, it should never be forgotten, was the great point, as far as our Saviour himself was concerned. In the message of peace and pardon he had originally no share; all, the Scriptures teach it, all the blessings of the Gospel spring from the free grace of God; all the miraculous works which he wrought, or which God wrought in him, were performed by the power of God; but for the execution of the great, the all-important work, we are, in the disposals of Infinite wisdom, indebted to our Saviour; and in a particular manner, to the last great act of faith and obedience and love, by which he accomplished the work of love and mercy.-Whatever blessings therefore God communicated to us through Christ Jesus, may with the greatest propriety, (as far as our Saviour himself was concerned) be said to be obtained for us by or through his death.

Here then we place the sinner's hope, on the foundation of Divine promise, on that Covenant of love and mercy which God made with mankind through our Lord Jesus Christ. And while we

join in the apostolic ascription of praise, and say, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings by him'; we can also gratefully unite in the words of the beloved apostle and say, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto his God and Father, unto him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.'

HYMN.

O God, all-holy, and all-just!
Thy mercy we adore,
Which bids us in thy promise trust,
And go and sin no more.

When humbled, Lord! before thy face,

Or with despondence tried,

We see the tokens of thy grace

In Jesus crucified.

His word hath power to make us whole,

And life and light impart ;

To sanctify the inmost soul,

And heal the broken heart.

Our life's best praise, O God, be thine,
For this effulgent ray,

Sent from thy glorious light to shine,
And turn our gloom to day.

LECTURE V.

CONSIDERATION OF THE LOWER FORMS OF THE DOCTRINE OF ATONEMENT, HELD BY BISHOP BUTLER AND

OTHERS.

Christian Brethren,

The passage which I am about to read as my text, furnishes a simple and comprehensive statement of the requirements and the blessings of the Gospel; and it is of the utmost importance, for it contains the words of Christ, after his death and ascension into heaven, in giving his commission to the apostle Paul. And to prevent all doubt as to its import, we have the practical illustration of it given by the apostle himself. When charged, as I have often been, with denying Christ as my Saviour, and teaching my fellowmen the same awful and fatal doctrine, it has been refreshing to my mind, to turn from human misrepresentation to the sacred testimony: and I feel secure that the Christian minister who can conscientiously declare that it has been his earnest and constraining desire in his preachings and in his writings, to fulfil (in his narrow sphere) the purposes of the commission given by Christ to

M

his apostle, and (in some humble measure) as the apostle fulfilled them, by teaching men repentance and obedience, has in that respect no cause for apprehending the displeasure of his Saviour and Judge, when he is called to stand before him. None will then be commanded to depart but the workers of iniquity.

Let me intreat you to listen with that spirit of candour and love of Christian truth, which I earnestly desire to cherish in my own heart, while I address you from those words of Scripture which you will find in the Book of

ACTS xxvi. 17, 18.

DELIVERING THEE FROM THE PEOPLE, AND from THE GENTILES, UNTO WHOM NOW I SEND THEE, TO OPEN THEIR EYES, and TO TURN them FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT, AND from THE POWER OF SATAN UNTO GOD, THAT THEY MAY RECEIVE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, AND INHERITANCE AMONG THEM WHICH ARE SANCTIFIED BY FAITH THAT IS IN ME.

These words of Christ to his new disciple contain, I said, a simple and comprehensive statement of the requirements and blessings of the Gospel. I do not know what is not included in them. Men were to turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan, (the adversary, all that is hostile to righteousness and true holiness,-from the power of Sin) unto God: and the great and blessed effects are declared to be that they should receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those that are sanctified by faith in Christ,