CHAPTER I.

ON THE NECESSITY OF THE

ATONEMENT,

SECTION I.

Man is a sinner, and needs forgiveness.

THAT the adorable Creator placed his intellective creatures under a law, or moral government-founded upon his own eternal goodness, justice, and truth-is so abundantly evident, from many declarations of holy scripture, that it will be unnecessary here to detain the reader by particular quotations from the sacred volume.

This law, or moral government, whilst it required unceasing obedience from men, was designed, by its influence on their understanding and affections, to promote their felicity, in the highest possible degree,

B

By presenting the glorious nature of God, and of his righteous government to the understanding, the soul is enraptured with delight; and enjoys a conscious felicity, arising from a conviction of the intrinsic excellence of those objects thus presented to its view. In proof of this we may appeal to the united testimony of scripture and experience.

The law produces harmony in our affections, harmony with our fellow creatures, and union with our Creator. And hence result all the sweets of moral, social, and divine felicity. The law of God is calculated, not only to delight the understanding, but also to influence the will, and to regulate the conduct. It unites the rational creatures of God together as a band of brothers; assimilates them into the Divine nature; and, thus, conducts them to the eternal fountain of love and tranquility. And the obvious conclusion is, that the glory of the Creator, and the happiness of all rational creatures, are supported by means of God's holy law, or moral government.

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Hence, it is evident, that a violation of the law, is an insult to all the attributes of God,-an infringement on the general plan of happiness,-a violation of all right,— and, consequently, sin is a very great evil. Its native tendency is to dissolve the harmony of universal society,—

Let the reader turn to the 19th, and 119 th Psalms.

to obstruct the influence of every righteous principle,— and to produce everlasting misery and disorder; and, unless forgiveness can be extended to the sinner, all the attributes of Deity are roused to execute vengeance upon him. Goodness is opposed to the rebel, because his crimes obstruct the general flow of happiness,-Truth, because his conduct tends to obscure the Divine government, and Justice, because he has violated the rights of others.

The origin of moral evil, or the introduction of sin into our world, has given rise to notions and conjectures the most ridiculous and absurd. There exists, indeed, a strange and almost universal propensity amongst mankind, to account for it in any way, rather than that which is in accordance with scripture and common sense.

By one class of systematizers, we are gravely told that, "God has fore-ordained whatever comes to pass in time;" yea, that "sin is a wise and holy ordination of God!" If these sentiments be admitted, there can be no mistake about the first cause of sin! According to others, God is not properly the author of evil; he only permitted its entrance into this world. And, we are told, that he had sufficient reasons for permitting it-that, in permitting it, he had important ends to answer-and that he never would have permitted its introduction had

Assembly's Cat.

Tucker on Predestination, page 98.

it not accorded with his own eternal purposes and designs, &c. &c. Now all this amounts to a broad insinuation, at least, that God is, in some sense or other, the author of sin. The word permit, as thus used, conveys the idea that the introduction of evil was indirectly sanctioned by him; whereas, we have the most indubitable evidence, that sin is in direct opposition to all his perfect and holy attributes, as well as to every principle of his wise and righteous government of rational beings, and that every thing was done to prevent it, which could be done consistently with the freedom of man, and the nature of the government which was to regulate his conduct. Let the reader carefully consult the Mosaic account of what relates to this matter.

It has frequently been asked, if the being of sin had been so contrary to the will and designs of the Almighty, would he not have absolutely prevented its existence? Those who originate such questions as this, appear to have but a very superficial acquaintance with the subject under consideration. They are perpetually confounding the moral, with the natural, government of God-the power, which he exercises over rational beings, with that which he exerts on inanimate, or material objects! Hence they speak and write, as if planets and men were governed by the same laws! Just as if physical force were as applicable in the one case as in the other!!

Sin, however, cannot be prevented by physical force, nor by any kind of external compulsion whatever; because sin is the violation of laws, obedience to which, must be entirely optional. This is true of all moral governments, whether human or divine. It is evident, therefore, that the posssibility of evil can never be removed from a state of trial, or probation. If, by absolute power, men were prevented from doing wrong, the act, which so prevented them, would, at the same time, put an end to their state of probation. It follows also, that, if men were to have been prevented from sinning, they could not have been placed in a state of trial-could not have existed under a moral government; for a state of trial, from which wrong conduct is excluded, would involve a contradiction. And the fair, and obvious conclusion is, that sin could not be prevented, even by the Almighty himself, if man was to exist in a state of trial.

Now, if a state of probation rendered it impossible to prevent the introduction of sin, then, we think, it is improper, and tends only to mislead the judgement, to say that sin was permitted. Besides, sin had been possitively forbidden, and could not surely be, at the same time, forbidden and permitted! If, then, sin entered into our world against the possitive command of the Deity, it must have been without his permission, or consent.

All the evidence we possess, on the subject before us, tends to show, that sin, or moral evil, originated, in the