goodness and perfect obedience, thought fit to grant unto mankind, the forgiveness of those sins that were past; and farther, erected a glorious and perfect dispensation of grace, exceeding any which had gone before, in means, promises and prospects, at the head of which he set his Son our Lord Jesus Christ," &c. &c. Thus then, the obedience of Christ was the sacrifice: and the benefits procured to us by that obedience, constitute the atonement effected by it. And the nature of these benefits, and the way in which they are wrought out for us by Christ's obedience, as we find them explained by this writer, will help us to a just view of the true nature of that, which he calls our atonement.

"Truth required, says he, (Key, &c. No. 149.) that grace be dispensed, in a manner the most proper and probable to produce reformation and holiness. Now this is what our Lord has done. He has bought us by his blood, and procured the remission of sins, as what he did and suffered was a proper reason for granting it, and a fit way of conveying and rendering effectual the grace of God," &c."Now, he says, this could be done no otherwise, than by means of a moral kind, such as are apt to influence our minds, and engage us to forsake what is evil, and to work that which is good," &c.-" and what means of this sort could be more effectual, than the heavenly and most illustrious example of the Son of God, shewing us the most perfect obedience to God, and the most generous goodness and love to men, recommended to our imitation, by all possible endearments and engaging considerations?" And again he says, (Script. Doct. No. 170.) By the blood of Christ, God discharges us from the guilt, because the blood of Christ is the most powerful mean of freeing us from the pollution and power of sin," and he adds, "it is the ground of redemption,

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as it is a mean of sanctification."—What then means the blood of Christ?"not a mere corporeal substance; in which case, as he says, it would be of no more value in the sight of God, than any other thing of the same kind: nor is it to be considered, merely in relation to our Lord's death and sufferings, as if mere death or suffering could be of itself pleasing and acceptable to God;" no, the writer informs us, (Key, &c. No. 146.) that the "blood of Christ is his perfect obedience and goodness; and that it implies a character," which we are to transcribe into our lives and conduct. And accordingly he maintains, (Script. Doctr. No. 185.) that "our Lord's sacrifice and death is so plainly represented, as a powerful mean of improving our virtue, that we have no sufficient ground, to consider its virtue and efficacy in any other light."

To what then, according to this writer, does the entire scheme of the Atonement amount?-God being desirous to rescue man from the consequences and dominion of his Sins, and yet desirous to effect this in such a way, as might best conduce to the advancement of virtue, thought fit to make forgiveness of all sins that were past, a reward of the meritorious obedience of Christ: and by exhibiting that obedience, as a model for universal imitation, to engage mankind to follow his example, that being thereby improved in their virtue, they might be rescued from the dominion of sin: and thus making the example of Christ a "mean of sanctification," Redemption from Sin might thereby be effected. This, as far as I have been able to collect it, is a faithful transcript of the author's doctrine. And what there is in all this, of the nature of Sacrifice or Atonement, (at least so far as it affects those who have lived since the time of Christ,) or in what material respect, it differs from the Socinian notion,

which represents Christ merely as our instructer and example, I profess myself unable to discover.

I have been thus full in my account of this writer's scheme, because by some strange oversight, and possibly from his artful accommodation of scripture phrases to his own notions, whereby he is enabled to express himself in the language of Scripture, his works have received considerable circulation, even among those whose opinions on this subject are of an opposite description. Nay, the erroneous tenets of this author, have been conveyed in a collection of Theological Tracts, some time since published by an able and learned Prelate, in the sister country: and the candidates for orders in this, are by authority enjoined, to receive part of their theological instruction from his writings.-Those who wish to see the errors of this scheme more amply reviewed and refuted, I refer to the examination of the doctrine, in the Scripture Account of Sacrifices, by Mr. Portal, and in the Criticisms on modern Notions of Atonement by Dr. Richie: in the latter of which particularly, the fallacy of the author's principles, and the gross ambiguity of his terms, are exposed with no less truth than ingenuity.

With respect to H. Taylor, who, in his B. Mord. partly coincides with this writer in his explication of atonement, it is but justice to say, that he gives a view of the subject, in the main materially different: inasmuch as he represents Christ's concern for mankind, and his earnest intercession recommended by his meritorious obedience, to be the appointed means of his obtaining from God that kingdom, which empowers him to dispense forgiveness, &c.-Whereas Dr. J. Taylor makes the obedience of Christ (with regard to such as have lived since his time) the means of redemption, as being the means of man's improvement in virtue: and so far

from attributing any efficacy to Christ's obedience, as operating through intercession, (to which, we find from Scripture, God has frequently bestowed his blessings, see Number IX. pp. 140, 141.) he considers the intercessions and prayers of good men for others, in no other light, than as acts of obedience, goodness and virtue. So that, in fact, the whole of his scheme, when rightly considered, (excepting only with respect to those who lived before Christ, in which part he seems inconsistent with himself, and on his own principles not easy to be understood) falls in with the notion of good works and moral obedience, as laid down by the Socinian. And here lies the secret of Mr. Belsham's remark, (Review, &c. p. 18.) that "Dr. Taylor has, in general, well explained these Jewish phrases” (viz. propitiation, sacrifice, redemption through Christ's blood, &c.) "in his admirable Key."-As Mr. Belsham rejects the notion of redemption by Christ, and of faith in Christ, in toto, (see Review, &c. pp. 18. 104. 145.) it is not difficult to assign the cause of this commendation.

NO. XVII. THE DOCTRINE OF ATONEMENT FALSELY CHARGED WITH THE PRESUMPTION OF PRONOUNCING ON THE NECESSITY OF CHRIST'S DEATH.

PAGE 21. (r) That men could not have been forgiven, unless Christ had suffered to purchase their forgiveness, is no part of the doctrine of Atonement, as held by the Church of England. What. God could or could not have done, it presumes not to pronounce. What God declares he has done, that merely it asserts: and on his express word alone is it founded. But it is to be remembered, that on this, as on many other occasions, that a priori reasoning, which so frequently misleads those who

object to the doctrines of our Church, is imputed by them to us. Not being themselves in the habit of bowing with humble reverence to the sacred word, they consider not that we speak merely its suggestions:* and that if we do at any time philoso

*The language of Witsius upon this subject is worth attending to."Supposito extare Revelationem de mysteriis, at inquiri in sensum verborum quibus ista Revelatio mihi exponitur: non est in. ista inquisitione ita procedendum, ut primo rationem meam consulam, quid ea, in idearum ac notionum suarum scriniis, rei de qua agitur simile aut adversum habeat, ut secundum eas quas ibi invenio notiones verba revelationis exponam, id unice operam dans, ut sensum tandem aliquem quantâ maximâ possum commoditate iis dem ; qui istis meis prænotionibus optime conveniat. Sed attendendum est ad ipsa verba, quid in omnibus suis circumstantiis significare apta nata sint, quidque secundum Scripturæ stilum significare soleant: atque hac viâ reperto sensu quem verba sine torsione per se fundunt, secure in eo acquiescendum est, omniaque rationis scita subjicienda sunt isti sensui quem iis me verbis doset Deus." To these observations he subjoins an example of the opposite modes of investigating the sense of Scripture by the philosophising and the humble enquirer, applying the former epithet to Socinus, and taking for the particular subject of investigation the passage in Joh. i. 14. ο λόγος σαρξ εγενετο. Soci nus ita procedit: nihil invenit in toto rationis suæ penu, quod ipsi repræsentet, Deum ita humanæ unitum naturæ, ut ea unam cum ipso constituat personam; ideoque talem conceptum absurdum Deoque injuriosum esse sciscit. Id supponit ad ho- ` rum verborum explicationem se occingens: idcirco omnes ingenii sui nervos intendit, ut sensum aliquem iis applicet, qui ab isthâc assertione remotissimus sit. Sollicitat verba singula, sollicitat nexum eorum, flectit, torquet, omnia agit, ne id dicere videantur quod dicunt. Nos longe aliter procedendum existimamus. Accedimus ad hanc pericopam simplici atque humili mente audituri atque accepturi quidquid Deo nos placeat docere. Consideramus verba in nativo suo significatu, et prout passim in sacris literis usurpantur; expendimus quidcs notet secundum phrasin Johannis, quid Sa, quid agg: consideramus quomodo alibi de hâc re sacræ literæ loquantur. Ex his omnibus formamus sensum, quem recipimus humili fidei obsequio firmiterque apud animum nostrum statuimus, Filium Dei humanam naturam tam arcte sibi junxisse, ut idem et Deus et homo sit: