ON THE DOCTRINES AND PRECEPTS OF CHRISTIANITY IN RELATION TO THE DEATH OF CHRIST.

The systematic theology of the New Testament, both doctrinal and practical, is chiefly contained in the epistles, or pastoral letters, addressed to particular churches or individual Christians by some of the apostles; and it is a remarkable fact, that almost all the expositions of evangelical truth furnished by these inspired writers, as well as all their applications of it to the improvement of character and conduct, are expressly grounded on the death of Christ, and distinctly refer to its two principal features above pointed out, namely, as constituting a propitiatory sacrifice, and as occasioned by the effusion of his blood. In the following discussion, this fact will first be proved by quotations from the apostolical writings, and afterwards illustrated by showing its significancy and importance.

The plan of human salvation is described in Scripture as commencing with a covenant of reconciliation between God and men, founded on the atoning sacrifice of Christ. To atone for sin, the vicarious death of a suitable victim by the effusion of its life's blood was indispensable. For this purpose the life's blood of the victims offered under the patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations was totally inadequate, but that of Christ was perfectly sufficient; audit was through the oblation of this blood on the cross that he became at once the mediator, priest, and victim of the new covenant, whereby those who embrace it are spiritually united to him, to each other, and to God. This arrangement is most clearly and copiously described by the apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrew Christians of Palestine. After alluding to the structure and furniture of the tabernacle, or temple, and particularly to the veil which concealed the inner sanctuary from view, he proceeds as follows. — "These things being thus arranged, the priests enter at all times into the first sanctuary to perform the sacred services; but into the second the high-priest alone [enters] once a year, not without blood, which he offers for his own sins, and for those of the people. The Holy Spirit herein signified that the way into the most holy place was not yet made manifest, whilst the first tabernacle retained [its] institution; which [is only] a figure [referring] to the present time, whereby both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshipper perfect as regards the conscience, [being] merely rites of outward purification by meats, and drinks, and various washings, reserved for a time of reformation. But Christ having arrived, [as] high-priest of the blessings to come, by the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made width hands, that is, not of this institution, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, entered once for all into the most holy place, having achieved an everlasting redemption. For, if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkled on those who are unclean, sanctify to the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself [as a] spotless [sacrifice] to God, purify your consciences from dead works to worship the living God? And for this end he is [the] mediator of [the] new covenant; that, [in consequence of] a death having taken place as a ransom for the transgressions [committed] under the first covenant, those who are called might attain the promised [gift] of the eternal inheritance. For, where [there is] a covenant, the death of the covenant-victim must necessarily take place; for a covenant [is] ratified over dead [victims,] not having any force whilst the victim remains alive. On which account, neither was the first [covenant] solemnized without blood; for, when every commandment of the law had been recited to all the people by Moses, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book and all the people, saying, This [is] the blood of the covenant which God hath appointed for you. And in like manner he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle, and all the implements of the sacred service; and [indeed,] according to the law, almost all things are purified by blood, and without effusion of blood there is no discharge [of sins. It was] therefore necessary that the types of heavenly things should be thus purified, but the heavenly things themselves by better sacrifices than these; for Christ has not entered into the most holy place made with hands, the figure of the true [sanctuary,] but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.¹ . . . . . . For the law, presenting a shadow [only] of the future blessings, [and] not their very substance, can never by the same sacrifices which they offer year by year render those who attend them thenceforth perfect; for [otherwise,] would they not have ceased to be offered? since the worshippers, once purified, would have had no further consciousness of sins. But by these [sacrifices] a fresh commemoration of sins [is made] every year; for [it is] impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore, on coming into the world [Christ] said. Sacrifice and offering thou desiredst not, but a body hast thou prepared for me. In whole burnt-offerings and [sacrifices] for sin thou hadst no pleasure, then I said, Lo, I come, (in a chapter of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God! [When, after] previously saying. Sacrifice, and offering, and whole burnt offerings, and [sacrifices] for sin thou desiredst not, neither hadst pleasure [therein,] which are offered according to the law, he adds, Lo, I come to do thy will! he taketh away the first, that he may establish the second; by which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. . . . . . . Having then, brethren, liberty to enter into the most holy place by the blood of Jesus, that newly opened and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, and [having] a high-priest over the house of God, let US draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts purified by sprinkling from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."²

Nor was this, as some may have supposed, merely a figurative mode of speaking adopted to conciliate Jews; for the apostle uses precisely similar language when addressing Gentile Christians, as appears from the following passages in his epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians. — "Remember"— says he to the former, — "that ye who were once Gentiles in flesh, and called uncircumcision by those who derive their name from the circumcision made by hands in the flesh, were at that time without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope, and without God in the world; but that now, by Christ Jesus, ye who once were far off have by the blood of Christ been brought nigh. For he is our peace, who hath united the two [parties,] destroyed the middle wall of separation, and abolished by his flesh the enmity, [namely,] the law of commandments in [the form of] decrees, that by [thus] making peace he might combine in himself the two [parties] into one new man, and reconcile both in one body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby; and came and proclaimed peace to you who [were] far off", and to them [who were] nigh; for through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father." — To the Colossians the apostle remarks, — "It pleased [the Father] that in him the whole church should dwell; and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all to himself, by him [alike,] whether those on earth, or those in heaven;" — that is, whether Jews or Gentiles. That the new covenant like the old was ratified by the life's blood of its victim, is moreover declared by Christ himself, who said on instituting the Lord's supper, — "This cup [is] the new covenant by my blood, which [is] shed for you [and] for many, for the discharge of sins;" — and the same meaning is evidently attached by the apostles Peter and Paul to the same term, whether they mention the blood of the covenant, or the blood of sprinkling. When congratulating the Hebrew Christians on their conversion, the latter observes that they had come — "to Jesus, [the] mediator of [the] new covenant, and to [the] blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than [that of] Abel;" — and in another place styles Christ, — "the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of [the] everlasting covenant."³ — In the administration of this covenant the three divine persons manifestly concurred: planned and executed by the Father, it was ratified by the blood of Christ, and published to the world by his chosen ambassadors, whose testimony was supported by that of the Holy Spirit. To demonstrate the truth of this covenant, to explain its nature, and to press it with authority on the acceptance of mankind, was the peculiar office of the apostles; an office partly discharged during their lives by preaching, but which by means of their inspired writings they will continue to exercise till the end of time. — "How shall we escape," — says one of their number, — "if we neglect so great a salvation? which began to be spoken by the Lord, [and] was confirmed to us by those who heard [him;] God [also] subjoining his testimony by signs, and wonders, and various miraculous powers and gifts of the Holy Spirit, dispensed according to his own will." — On another occasion he remarks, — "The whole [proceeds] from God, who hath reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation We are therefore ambassadors for Christ; [and,] as if God entreated [you] through us, we beseech [you] in Christ's stead, — Be ye reconciled to God: for he hath made him who knew not sin to be sin for us, that we might become [the] righteousness of God by him."⁴

The covenant of reconciliation, thus attested and recommended, may be regarded as an act of amnesty granted by the gracious sovereign of the universe to his rebellious subjects of the human race, and during a certain period lying open for the benefit of all who are willing to embrace it; the Scripture declaring that — "God would have all men to be saved, and to come to an acknowledgment of the truth," — and proclaiming with some of its latest words, — "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely," — By the same inspired authority the blood of Christ is represented, not only as the bond of this covenant, but also as the medium of all the benefits thence resulting, namely, spiritual knowledge, and a complete deliverance from the guilt, the power, and the penal consequences of sin; or, to use the emphatic language of the apostle Paul, — "Christ is by God made to us wisdom, and justification, sanctification, and redemption." — The wisdom which is from above, or evangelical instruction, necessarily lies at the root of the process. Thus, after stating that under this dispensation — "whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved," — the apostle asks, — "How then shall they call [on him] in whom they have not believed, and how shall they believe [in him] of whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach unless they are sent?" — 'justly concluding, — "So then faith [cometh] by preaching, and preaching by the command of God."⁵ — In this process the Deity shows a due regard to the nature of man, who, although fallen and depraved, is still a rational and moral agent, and cannot be rendered wise, virtuous, or happy, without his own consent and co-operation. The message of the gospel having been authenticated and explained, he is invited to believe and accept it; and on so doing, is reconciled to God, and entitled to all the blessings of salvation. Evangelical faith is not, however, a mere belief in the message, or a vague and general trust in the divine mercy, but a cordial and practical adhesion to the new covenant, on an adequate understanding of its nature. Hereupon the convert becomes spiritually united, and as it were identified with the mediator, by virtue of whose atoning sacrifice he is justified by God, as the moral governor of the world; or in other words, is legally absolved from guilt, and regarded as an innocent and upright person. This unspeakable benefit is in Scripture distinctly ascribed to the blood of Christ, who on instituting the Lord's supper presented a cup of wine to his apostles, in token of their embracing the new covenant about to be ratified by his blood, and thereby obtaining the discharge of their sins. . . . . . "That he might consecrate the people with his own blood,'' — says the apostle Paul, — ''Jesus suffered without the gate [of Jerusalem;"] — and hence, — "we have redemption through his blood, [even] the discharge of sins, according to the munificence of his grace . . . . . for all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption which [is] in Christ Jesus; whom God fore-appointed [to be] a propitiatory [sacrifice,] through faith in his blood, to demonstrate his justice, — because of the seeming impunity of previous sins through the forbearance of God, — to demonstrate his justice at the present time, [and to show] that he is just even in justifying him that believeth in Jesus.⁶ . . . . . . God displays his love towards us, in that whilst we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more, therefore, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from wrath by him; for, if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life."

The blessings of salvation are so intimately and inseparably connected, that the existence of any one of them necessarily implies that of all the rest, agreeably to the statement of the same apostle: — "We know that to those who love God, who are called according to [his] purpose, all things work together for good. For whom he foreknew them he also predestined [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born amongst many brethren; and whom he predestined them he also called, and whom he called them he also justified, and whom he justified them he also glorified."⁷ — In reference to human agency, these blessings commence at the moment of conversion, when justification by faith and reconciliation with God are immediately attained; but sanctification and redemption are slow and gradual processes, the former not being completed till death, nor the latter till the resurrection of the just. By the message of the gospel addressed to the understanding, in conjunction with the influence of the Holy Spirit applied to the affections, men are invited to embrace the Christian covenant. If they do so, they are regenerated, that is, become in the highest sense of the term children of God, who accepts them graciously, loves them freely, translates them from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of his beloved Son, and places them under the tuition and guidance of his Spirit, the author and finisher of this new creation. John accordingly remarks, — "To as many as received him [Christ] granted the privilege of being children of God, [even] to those who believed on his name." — A genuine filial affection towards their heavenly Father, resembling in kind that of Christ himself, and grounded on his atoning sacrifice, is at the same time formed in their hearts; a principle at first feeble and rudimental, like a vegetable or animal germ, but which is progressively nurtured and increased till, on becoming fully developed and matured, it transforms the whole character into the divine image. This is the process of sanctification, wherein the convert himself performs a subordinate but important part; since throughout his subsequent life it is powerfully opposed, although with continually decreasing effect, by the remains of a corrupt and fallen nature.⁸ Redemption, or deliverance from sin in consequence of the payment of the requisite ransom, comprehends in a large sense the entire process of salvation; but, whilst justification is a deliverance from the guilt of sin, and sanctification a deliverance from its power, redemption is more properly a deliverance from its penal consequences. This is partially effected in the present life, the troubles and sorrows of which are to a Christian either mitigated, or overruled for good; but death, the common lot of fallen men, cannot be avoided. At the moment of dissolution, however, the ransomed spirit, clothed with some ethereal vehicle, specially provided by the Deity, and admirably adapted to its intermediate stage of existence, passes at once into the blissful presence of God; and at the resurrection of the just, when the work of redemption will be completed, the body also, raised from the earth in a refined and glorified state, will be reunited to the spirit, and thenceforth be its inseparable companion through a happy eternity. These latter blessings, like the former ones, are in Scripture ascribed to the blood of Christ, as their procuring and meritorious cause; but, owing to their mutual connection, two or more of them are sometimes included under the same general expression, on which account, when a separate proof of each is required, the repeated quotation of such passages can scarcely be declined. By those, for example, which mention the blood of Christ as sprinkling, washing, purifying, &c., it is probably represented as the medium of sanctification no less than of justification. Thus Peter salutes the Christian Jews of Asia Minor as, — "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ;'' — and reminds them — "that they had been redeemed from their unprofitable [religious] course, derived by tradition from the fathers, not by perishable things, [such as] silver or gold, but by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."⁹ — After assuring those of Palestine that, not — "by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, [Christ] entered once for all into the most holy place, having achieved an everlasting redemption," — Paul asks — "How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself [as a] spotless [sacrifice] to God, purify your consciences from dead works to worship the living God?" — and denounces a fearful doom to the apostate, — "who had trampled on the Son of God, regarded the blood of the covenant by which he was purified as destitute of sanctity, and insulted the Spirit of grace." — In his epistle to the Ephesians he speaks of the Father, as — "having by the good pleasure of his will predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ, to the glory of his grace, which he hath bestowed on us in the beloved one, by whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the discharge of sins, according to the munificence of his grace;" — a passage which corresponds with his parting injunction to the elders of the Ephesian church: — "Take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock wherein the Holy Spirit hath made you pastors, to tend the church of the Lord which he hath purchased with his own blood;"— and is more fully explained in his epistle to the Colossians, where he mentions himself as — "giving thanks to the Father, who hath qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the dominion of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, by whom we have redemption, [even] the discharge of sins.¹⁰ . . . . . . If," — says the apostle John, — "we say that we have fellowship with [God,] and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light, [even] as he is in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of his Son Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin." — At the commencement of the Apocalypse he breaks forth into the sublime doxology, — "To him that loveth us, and hath washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests to his God and Father, to him [be ascribed] glory and power throughout endless ages. Amen." — The glorified Saviour appears on the celestial throne, as — "a lamb that had been slain." — Of the souls of the early martyrs in heaven it is said, — "These are they who have come out of the great persecution, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'''' — It was — "because of the blood of the Lamb, and of the word of their testimony, that they overcame [Satan,] and withheld not their lives from death;" — and lastly, the glorified spirits around the throne are described as addressing the Saviour in a new hymn of praise, — "Thou art worthy to take the book [of prophecy,] and to open its seals, because thou wast slain [as a sacrifice,] and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every tribe, and language, and people, and nation."¹¹

It has thus been shown that, in many parts of the apostolical writings, the blood of Christ is emphatically declared to be the bond of the new covenant, the price of human redemption, and the medium whereby men are enlightened, justified, sanctified, and finally saved. On their first proposal such statements are liable to the objections formerly suggested; namely, that the death of the cross is not naturally attended with the requisite effusion of blood, and that blood abstractedly considered, even the blood of Christ itself, does not possess the requisite value. The explanation already given under the first of these heads is equally applicable to all the rest. The life's blood of Christ was actually poured out, owing to the rupture of his heart, occasioned by his pious endurance of the divine malediction due to human depravity, of which malediction suspension on a tree was the appointed sign. Hence, this blood publicly displayed after his death, is the natural proof and expression of his atoning sacrifice, and the central fact wherein all the other conditions of the plan of salvation visibly unite. It is accordingly always in reference to the atonement thereby accomplished that the blood of Christ is mentioned in Scripture, and from its relation to that stupendous transaction it derives all its significancy and importance. For such a purpose a fatal effusion of blood was necessary, no other blood than that of Christ on the cross would have sufficed, and in no other manner could the cross have furnished the blood so required. Taken in this connexion, the blood of Christ aptly represents the satisfaction which he made to divine justice, whereby God is enabled, consistently with all his attributes, to enter into a covenant of reconciliation with sinful men; as likewise the ransom whereby they are lawfully redeemed from the dominion of Satan, translated into the kingdom of Christ, and placed under the influence of the Holy Spirit, in order to their immediate regeneration, and ultimate perfection. In the first and last steps of the process the subjects of it are comparatively passive; but in the two intermediate stages of justification and sanctification they actively co-operate, and in both of them the blood of Christ, regarded as the sign of his atoning sacrifice, is an important agent. For, the Christian covenant is not like the Mosaic national and external, but personal and spiritual. No one can enter it except by his own free will, and with a full understanding and approval of its terms and conditions. This is no slight or easy act, implying merely assent to a doctrine, or compliance with a ceremony, but one which involves on the part of the convert a deep conviction of his sin and danger, genuine repentance towards God, an earnest desire to be restored to his favour, and a cordial concurrence in the plan which he has provided for that end. With reverential gratitude and affection he therefore embraces Christ, as the mediator of the new covenant, lays his hand as it weie on the head of the bleeding victim, appropriates to himself the atoning sacrifice by which alone he can be rescued from merited malediction, and thus performs his humble but indispensable part in the solemn compact. With such explanation, it is not difficult to understand the scriptural statement, that, on doing this, he is for Christ's sake absolved from all iniquity, and admitted as if he were a pure and innocent being to the friendship and favour of God; in other words, that he is freely justified by faith through the blood of the cross, and consequently has peace with God. On the same principle, the influence ascribed to the blood of Christ in the work of sanctification is easily explained. When a convert embraces the Saviour as his substitute, he also embraces him as his model, and becomes identified with him in all possible respects. Hence, in Scripture he is said to put on Christ, to be one spirit, and in a certain sense one body with him, and Christ is said to be formed and to dwell in his heart, as the hope of glory. Thus, the apostle Paul exhorts the Romans — "to put on the Lord Jesus Christ;" — asks the Corinthians, — "Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ?" — assures them, — "He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit;" — declares to the Ephesians, — "We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones;" — and prays — "that, through faith, Christ may dwell in their hearts;" — reminds the Galatians, — "As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ;" — and, apprehensive lest by adopting Judaism they had fallen from a state of grace, affectionately addresses them, — "My little children, with whom I again travail in birth until Christ is formed within you."¹²

But the character preeminently displayed by Christ is that of filial piety and devotedness to God, carried to such an unbounded extent, that in order to promote his glory he voluntarily endured his malediction. A character similar in kind, although inferior in degree, is impressed by the Holy Spirit on the hearts of all who enter into the Christian covenant. By that act they become in the highest sense of the term sons of God, and thenceforth, like beloved children, imitate the perfections of their heavenly father, in whatever manner those perfections are displayed, but more especially as they are exhibited in the person and office of Christ. In common with the apostle of the Gentiles they are enabled to say, — "The [same] God who commanded light to shine out of darkness hath shined into our hearts, enlightening [us] with a knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ;" — and therefore, — "whilst diffusing with unveiled face the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." — Their filial affection towards God is moreover combined with profound gratitude for their personal salvation, a cordial approval of the principles and means by which it is accomplished, and a zealous desire to serve and please their divine benefactor.— "It was fit" — says Paul, — "that he for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in conducting many sons to glory, should make the leader of their salvation perfect through sufferings: for he who sanctifieth and they who are sanctified [are] all [children] of one [father;] wherefore [Christ] is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the church I will sing praise to thee.¹³. . . . . . As beloved children, be ye therefore imitators of God, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us,  and presented himself to God on our behalf, as a sweet-smelling oblation and sacrifice . . . . . . I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies [as] a living sacrifice, holy [and] well-pleasing to God, [which is] your reasonable service; and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." — Treading in the footsteps of their Saviour, they adopt, and, as far as possible, copy all his proceedings on their behalf. Like him, they die to sin, rise again to a new and holy life, and, by a well-grounded anticipation of future glory, virtually sit down with him in the heavenly regions. — "What then" — asks the same apostle, — "shall we say? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. How shall we who have died to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that as many of us as have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? We have therefore been buried with him by this baptism into death; so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, we also have walked in newness of life. For, if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of his resurrection; knowing this, that our old man hath been crucified with [Christ,] that the body of sin might be mortified, that we should no longer be the slaves of sin, for he that is dead is freed from sin."¹⁴ — When admonishing the Colossians to avoid Judicial errors, he tells them, — "Ye are complete in [Christ,] who is the head of all principality and power, by whom also ye have been circumcised with a circumcision not made by hands, in putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having in baptism been buried with him, by whom also ye have been raised together [with him,] through that faith [which is produced] by the operation of God who raised him from the dead;" — and therefore exhorts them, — "If then ye have been raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth, for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ [who is] our life shall appear, ye also shall appear with him in glory."¹⁵ — But their progress is slow and difficult, owing to the opposition of a fallen and depraved nature with which, as it cannot be instantaneously destroyed, they are appointed during the remainder of their days unceasingly to contend. At the commencement of their course this nature, which like a corrupt tree yields only evil fruit, is strong and vigorous; whilst the regenerate nature, like a germ of heavenly origin engrafted on it, is feeble and rudimental. These two principles are mutually counteractive; and, in proportion as either of them flourishes and prevails, the other is enfeebled and subdued. The conflict between them is sometimes illustrated by the imaginary conjunction in one person of two men, — the old, and the new, — each struggling for the mastery; and according to either illustration, if the new nature is assiduously cultivated, it becomes strong and advances to maturity, whilst, by means of an intrinsic antagonism, the old nature gradually decays and dies. Thus, in the well-known account of his religious experience, the apostle Paul sorrowfully acknowledges, — "I find a law, that when I would do good evil besets me: for I delight in the law of God according to the inward man, but see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this dead body? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." — He accordingly admonishes the Galatians, — "Walk in the Spirit, and ye will not fulfil the lust of the flesh; for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are at war with each other, so as to prevent your doing the things that ye would;" — charges the Ephesians — "to put off" in reference to their former mode of life the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of their mind, and to put on the new [man,] which according to God is renewed in righteousness and true holiness;" — and reminds the Colossians — "that they had put off" the old man with his deeds, and had put on the new [man,] which is renewed unto knowledge according" to the image of his Creator."¹⁶

In this, as in all the other parts of the plan of salvation, the conduct of the Deity is not less distinguished by wisdom, than by benevolence and power. Had men retained their original innocence, the ordinary manifestations of his attributes in the course of nature and providence would have been sufficient to excite them to piety and virtue; but, since in consequence of their depravity this is not the case, he has been pleased to interpose for their recovery by an extraordinary manifestation of the same attributes, directed to this special object, and accompanied with a corresponding supply of renovating influence. Yet, although the agency employed for this purpose is chiefly supernatural, the mode of action is strictly natural. The laws of the human mind are neither violated, nor superseded. The most effective means are applied to enlighten the understandings of men with moral and religious truth, to awaken their consciences, and to purify their affections; but after all, the result must depend on their own choice. As has been already remarked, they cannot be made holy or happy by mere external agency, without their own consent and concurrence. Life and death, a blessing and a curse, are set before them; but they are at liberty either to reject the counsel of God against themselves, or to accept it. If they cordially embrace his covenant of reconciliation, he admits them at once into his family as beloved children, gives them the paternal injunction, — "Be ye holy, for I am holy," — and offers them the aid of his Spirit, to enable them to carry this command into effect. But, in order that their obedience may be genuine and liberal, the result of conviction and approval, and alike exempt from the compulsion of fear and the pretension of merit, they are first freely justified through faith in the blood of Christ, and afterwards sanctified through the same faith working by love. Sanctification is therefore merely the progressive development of conversion, the same principles and motives operating in both.

This important truth is clearly stated in many parts of the New Testament, particularly in Paul's epistle to Titus: — "The saving grace of God "— says the apostle, — "hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, renouncing ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live rationally, justly, and piously in the present world, looking forward to the blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify [us] to himself, [as] a superior people zealous of good works. . . . . . When the kindness and benevolence of God our Saviour towards men appeared, [it was] not by works of righteousness which we had done, but according to his mercy that he saved us, through [the] washing of regeneration, and [the] renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. [It is] a true saying, and on these [points] I wish thee to insist, that they who have believed on God should set their hearts on excelling in good works." — The Christian is enjoined to add to his faith virtue, and to work out his salvation, which here means his sanctification, with fear and trembling, because it is God who of his own good pleasure works in him both to will and to do, but who does this only on condition of his faithful and cordial cooperation.¹⁷ Although found in a fallen and degraded state, he is wisely treated as a rational and moral agent, who in accepting and fulfilling the plan provided for his restoration must exert his own intelligence, energy, and free will. By daily employing his faculties for this purpose, vigorously practising self-denial, resisting temptation, enduring affliction, and cultivating right principles and affections, in conjunction with a diligent use of outward ordinances, and a humble dependence on the influence of the Holy Spirit, he daily grows in grace, and continually approaches nearer to that standard of perfection, which in the present stage of existence he does not expect fully to attain. All this is in strict accordance with the laws of the human mind. Active powers are strengthened by exercise, ardent affections are nurtured by long and devoted attention to their objects, and principles are tested and invigorated by overcoming obstacles, whether pleasing or painful. But, to maintain a conflict so arduous strong motives are required. These are in part supplied by gracious promises of realizing the divine friendship and favour during the life which now is, and in a still higher degree at its termination, when the purified spirit will pass at once into the blissful presence of its father and its God, where there is fulness of joy, and where there are pleasures for evermore. Such promises frequently occur in the messages sent by Christ to the seven Asian churches; as for example, in the concluding passage, — "Be hold! I stand at the door and knock. If any one hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he [shall sup] with me. To him that overcometh I will give the privilege of sitting with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and am seated with my Father on his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." — In eastern courts, when the sovereign invites himself to sup with any of his courtiers, his invitation is regarded as a command, and the favoured subject, far from presuming to sit at table with his royal guest, waits on him as a servant. But, such is the superiority of divine condescension to anything witnessed amongst men, that Christ stands at the door of the heart, and knocks; and, when freely admitted, obliges his host to sup with him.¹⁸ The apostle John, through whom these messages were transmitted, remarks in his first epistle, — "Beloved, we are now the children of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; and every one who hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure." — The apostle Peter likewise reminds the Christian Jews of Asia Minor, that they had received from Christ — "exceedingly great and precious promises, in order that by them ye might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption which is in the world through lust; wherefore, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue," &;c; — and lastly, Paul tells the Corinthian Christians, — "Ye are the temple of the living God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk [in them,] and will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore, come out from amongst them and be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not that which is unclean, and I will receive you, and will be your father, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having then such promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, and perfect holiness in the fear of God."¹⁹

But, although other influences may legitimately co-operate in exciting the Christian to perform his part in the work of sanctification with diligence and fidelity, the most powerful of all is that derived from a grateful and affectionate contemplation of the atoning sacrifice of Christ, as represented by his blood, which is therefore said to be applied by the Holy Spirit to the heart. The peculiar efficacy of this motive has often been noticed in treatises on practical religion, but has seldom perhaps been better expressed than in those published several years since by Thomas Erskine, Esq., of the Scottish bar. — "The sacrifice of Christ" — says this excellent author, — "has associated sin width the blood of a benefactor, as well as with our own personal sufferings; and obedience with the dying entreaty of a friend breathing out a tortured life for us, as well as with our own unending glory in his blessed society. The same God, that he might declare his abhorrence of sin in the very form and substance of his plan of mercy, sent forth his Son to make a propitiation through his blood. This is the God with whom we have to do: this is his character, the just God, and yet the Saviour... The same truth, with regard to the character of God and the condition of man, which is so fully developed in the New Testament, is exhibited also in the Old, through an obscurer medium of types, and shadows, and prophecy. . . . . . . This belief is inseparably connected with a belief of the reality of Christ's sufferings; and, if Christ's sufferings were not real, we may give up the bible. . . . . . And when we see a system such as Christianity asserting to itself a divine original, tending most distinctly to the eradication of moral evil, harmonizing so beautifully with the most enlightened views of the character of God, and adapted so wonderfully to the capacities of man, does not the probability amount to an assurance that God has indeed made a movement towards man, and that such an antidote is indeed contained in the truth of the gospel?²⁰ . . . Thus it appears that the heart of man, the bible, and the course of Providence have a mutual adaptation to each other; and hence we may conclude that they proceed from the same source, — we may conclude that the same God who made man, and encompassed him with the trials of life, gave the bible to instruct him how these trials might be made subservient to his eternal happiness. . . . . . . The death of Christ, in which all the facts of the gospel meet as in their centre, is described as an atonement for the sins of the world, required by infinite holiness, provided by infinite love. He by the grace of God tasted death for every man: he, the one, bare the sins of the many. This marks God's judgment of human guilt: the punishment inflicted on the representative measures the deservings of those whose place he filled. It was an act of justice. — 'Christ died under the sentence of sin.' — This is an address to the conscience, to the sense of right and wrong; and it is only through the information of the conscience that we can comprehend it. It was an act of generous love, of self-sacrifice. — 'Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.' . . . . . . The unmeasured love which provided the lamb for the burnt-offering, the pure and awful holiness which required the atonement, the eternal identity of a departure from God and a departure from happiness, of a return to God and a return to happiness,— this is the lesson of the cross.²¹ . . . . Joy in the atonement, merely as the means of escape from misery, is blessed by the Spirit of God to bring forth the fruit of holy love, to the praise of the glory of his grace, in the hardest and the foulest heart. The joy of a free deliverance softens and expands the heart: it is thus prepared to look at the blood which was its ransom with tenderness and gratitude, and thus it is led to rejoice in the love of him whose blood was shed. . . . . . And, when the affections are attracted, think, what it is which attracts them: it ii not a kindness merely, it is a high and holy kindness, it is a wise kindness, it is an eternal kindness: it is the perfection of moral beauty, an uncreated loveliness, which, whilst it expands the affections, purifies and tranquillizes them. In like manner self-love, or the prudential principle, finds its object and its repose in the atonement. . . . . . Any one of the doctrines of the atonement which can make us fearless or careless of sinning must be a wrong view, because it is not good nor profitable to men. That blessed doctrine declares sin pardoned, not because it is overlooked or winked at, but because the weight of its condemnation has been sustained on our behalf by our elder brother and representative: this makes sin hateful, by connecting it with the blood of our best friend. . . . . . We may without faith in Christ regard the consequences of sin with dislike and apprehension, and we may even feel it to be a pollution to the dignity of our nature; but our hearts can never loathe it for its own sake until we see it connected with the blood of him who loved us, and gave himself for us. . . . . . The more freely grace is proclaimed, the more deeply sin is condemned; and it is the belief of having much forgiven that compels the heart to love much.²². . . Who, it may be asked, is this God whom we are called on thus to love? It is that God who hath so hated sin, and so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son to the death, to condemn sin, and to save the world. . . . . . That blood branded sin: it removed every obstacle that barred the approach of the sinner to God, or of God to the sinner; and it gave a pledge and a specimen of the richness and the holiness of divine love. This revelation is the instrument by which the Spirit of God writes the law upon the heart, in fulfilment of the promise made through Jeremiah, (chap. 31, v. 13.) It was given that men might see God as he is, and learn to love him as he ought to be loved."²³ — Such love when perfect fulfils the moral law. That law merely demands from intelligent beings a cordial and universal regard to the relations in which they are placed; and nothing can be so effectual in producing this regard, the deficiency of which constitutes depravity, as a filial love to God, founded on a grateful acceptance of the salvation which he freely offers through the atoning blood of Christ. Such love implies unbounded admiration for the perfections of the Deity, and profound reverence for his laws and arrangements, the excellence and necessity of which are so strikingly displayed in that wondrous transaction. This therefore is the true principle of evangelical sanctification, the fundamental motive by which all the moral precepts of the New Testament are ultimately enforced. Thus, in one place, after establishing the doctrine of justification by faith, the apostle Paul remarks, — "But, if whilst seeking to be justified by Christ we ourselves are found sinners, [is] Christ on that account a minister of sin? By no means. For, if I rebuild the things which I destroyed, I prove myself a transgressor: for I through the law have become dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ, yet I live, nevertheless not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." — In a similar style he observes on another occasion, — "The love of Christ constraineth us, since we thus judge, that if one died for all, all were [virtually] dead; and that he died for all, that they who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sake died and rose again. Henceforth therefore we know no one according to the flesh; yea, if we have even known Christ according to the flesh, we now know [him so] no more. Hence, if any one [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new."²⁴

It thus appears that the explanation here given of the cause and mode of the Saviour's death, not only perfectly harmonizes with all the doctrines and precepts of the New Testament, but also powerfully illustrates and confirms them; a circumstance which aifords additional proof of its truth and utility. Yet, as this explanation is discoverable by reason, and the knowledge of it is not absolutely necessary for the purposes of practical religion, it accords with the general character of revelation that it should not be formally stated, but merely suggested by the Scriptures. They therefore simply declare that the blood of Christ, poured forth at his death on the cross, rendered an atonement to divine justice for human depravity, and was consequently the source of all the blessings of salvation, the medium by which those who come to God through him are justified, sanctified, and finally redeemed. Such statements, abstractedly considered, are attended with some degree of obscurity which the explanation now proposed satisfactorily removes, and thereby furnishes a new elucidation of the gospel plan, calculated under the divine blessing to produce a salutary effect, both on the understanding and on the heart.

1) Heb. chap. 9, v. 6-24. With a view to show the frequency and force of the allusions made in the epistles to the blood of Christ, the corresponding words are throughout this chapter printed in Italics.

2) Heb. chap. 10, v. 1-10, 19-22; chap. 13, v. 10-14.

3) Ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησε πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα κατοικῆσαι· Coloss. chap. 1, v. 19, 20; — Ephes. chap. 2, v. 11-18; — Heb. chap. 10, v. 28, 29; chap. 12, v. 22-24; chap. 13, v. 20, 21. Whether the epistle which bears the name of the Ephesians was addressed to the Gentile Christians of Ephesus, or, as is more probable, to those of Laodicea, does not affect the present argument.

4) 2 Corinth, chap. 5, v. 18-21; — Heb. chap. 2, v. 1-4.

5) Κύριε, τίς ἐπίστευσε τῇ ἀκοῇ ἠμιῢν; ’Ἄρα ἠ πίστις ἑξ ἀκοῆς, η’ δὲ ἀκοή διὰ ῥήματος θεοῦ· Rom. chap. 10, v. 13-17; — 1 Corinth, chap. 1 v. 30, 31; — 1 Tim. chap. 2, v. 1-4; — Revel, chap. 22, v. 17.

6) The term πάρεσις ιἰμιιρτήμιίτων, which occurs in no other part of the New Testament, and, on account of the difficulty of expressing its meaning by any single English word, is here rendered. — "seeming impunity,"— probably signifies the apparent discharge of sins without an adequate ransom, as for example by the Levitical sacrifices. — Matt. chap. 26, v. 26-29; — Luke, chap. 22, v. 17-20; — Rom. chap. 3, v. 23-26; — Ephes. chap. 1, v. 4-7; — Heb. chap. 13, v. 10-12.

7) Rom. chap. 5, v. 8-10: chap. 6, v. 22, 23; chap. 8. v. 28-30.

8) John, chap. 1, v. 11-13; — Galat. chap. 4, v. 19, 20; — Ephes. chap. 5, v. 1, 2; — Coloss. chap. 1, v. 12, 13, 27; — 2 Peter, chap. 2. v. 1-4; — 1 John, chap. 3, v. 7- 9.

9) 1 Corinth. chap. 15, v. 42-57; — 2 Corinth, chap. 5, v. 1-8; — 1 Peter, chap. 1, v. 1, 2, 18, 19.

10) Acts, chap. 20, v. 28; — Ephes. chap. 1, v. 3-7; — Coloss. chap. 1, v. 12-14; — Heb. chap. 9, v. 11-15; chap. 10, v. 28, 29.

11) 1 John, chap. 1, v. 5-7; — Revel, chap. 1, v. 5, 6; chap. 5, v. 6-10; chap. 7, v. 13, 14; chap. 12, v. 10, 11.

12) John, chap. 17, v. 26; — Rom. chap. 13, v. 14; — 1 Corinth. cha? 6, v. 15-17; — Galat. chap. 3, v. 26, 27; chap. 4, v. 19, 20; — Eph33. chap. 3, v. 14-19; chap, 5, v. 29, 30; — Coloss. chap. 1, v. 26, 27.

13) 2 Corinth, chap. 3, v. 18; chap. 4, v. 6; — Heb. chap. 2, v. 10-12.

14) Rom. chap. 6, v. 1-7; chap. 12, v. 1, 2; — Ephes. chap. 2, v. 1-6; chap. 5, v. 1, 2; — Philipp. chap. 3, v, 7-14.

15) Coloss. chap. 2, v. 8-12; chap. 3, v. 1-4.

16) Rom. chap. 7, v. 21-25; chap. 8, v. 12-17; — Galat. chap. 5, 16, 17; — Ephes. chap. 4, v. 20-24; — Coloss. chap. 3, v. 9, 10.

17) Philipp. chap. 2, v. 12, 13; — Titus, chap. 2, v. 11-14; chap. 3,. 4-8; — 1 Peter, chap. 1, v. 14-16; — 2 Peter, chap. 1, v. 5-11; chap. 2, v. 20-22.

18) The effect is well illustrated by the conversion of Zaccheus, Luke, chap. 19, v. 1-10. See also chap. 12, v. 35-37; chap. 22, v. 24-30; — Revel, chap. 3, v. 20-22.

19) 2 Corinth, chap. 6, v. 16-18; chap. 7, v. 1; — 2 Peter, chap. 1, v. 3-5; — 1 John, chap, 3, v. 1-3.

20) Thomas Erskine, Esq., Remarks on the Internal Evidence for the Truth of Revealed Religion, pp. 73, 104, 130, 149, 164, 165.

21) Thomas Erskine, Esq., Remarks on the Internal Evidence for the Truth of Revealed Religion; pp. 175, 176, 186; — Essay on Faith, pp. 49, 51.

22) Thomas Erskine, Esq., Essay on Faith, pp. 75, 100, 112, 113, 113, 119.

23) Thomas Erskine, Esq. Three Essays on the Unconditional Freeness of the Gospel, p. 54.

24) 2 Corinth, chap. 5, v. 14-17; — Galat. chap. 2, v. 17-20; chap. 5, v. 24; — Philipp. chap. 2, v. 5-8; — Heb. chap. 12, v. 1-3; 1 Peter, chap. 4, v. 1, 2.