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THE

ANTI-SATISFACTIONIST, &c.

PART THE SECOND.

CHAPTER FIRST.

An enquiry concerning the doctrine of Atonement.

THE word atonement is capable of being understood in a sense very different to that in which it is now commonly taken. It seems to be purely of English origin compounded of the words at and one with the termination ment. Its true ideal meaning seems to be the setting at one, or effecting a reunion, where any variance or distance has subsisted. It appears to be constructed the same, and to convey the same idea, as the word reconcilement, used by some of our old writers. Were the writers on atonement to retain the true ideal meaning of the word, and apply it to the reconciling of the world, or the bringing of the Gentiles nigh to God under the dispensation of the gospel, or the setting of sinners at one with God through the mediation of Christ; not the re

conciling of God to the world, the appeasing of his wrath, and making satisfaction to his justice for the sins of men; we should not oppose their statement. But as words pass from one generation to another they sometimes acquire an arbitrary meaning, and at length convey ideas foreign to their true ideal sense this seems to have been the case with the word atonement. It is now generally used to express ą doctrine very opposite to every thing taught by Christ and his Apostles: hence, to avoid disputing about words, it seems necessary to refute error under the name which its advocates have applied to it.

It may be proper to enquire in what sense the word atonement is used in the Old Testament; especially as our opponents lay so much stress on the supposed vicarious nature of the jewish sacrifices.

The Hebrew word, Copher, translated atonement, includes the idea of covering. So far as it had to do

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*See PARKHURST's Hebrew and English Lexicon, and BATE's Critica Hebræa. It is applied to the substance with which Noah's ark was covered, also to the act of covering it. Gen. vi. 14, It is rendered hoar frost, Exod. xvi. 14. Job xxxviii. 29. Psa. cxlvii. 16. It is probable hoar frost might be called Copher from its being observed to lie on the ground like a covering. When Copher is translated village, as 1 Sam. vi. 18. Neh. vi. 2. the idea of a covering suggests itself, a village being a retired, sheltered place. When it is rendered bribe, as 1 Sam. xii. 3. Amos v. 12, the same idea is retained, a bribe being a covering, intended to blind the eyes. As a noun it is the Hebrew name of the mercy-seat, which was the lid or covering of the ark of the covenant. The idea of covering, in a figurative sense, may be attached to Copher when translated atonement, as what is forgiven is figuratively covered, and when sinners are cleansed from

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with things of a moral nature, it seems to mean the covering of sin, by an act of pardon,* and a legal purification from it: or the bringing of the people nigh to take refuge in the divine mercy. That the word could not be used, in the jewish law, to express a satisfaction made for sins, or something by which the Deity was placated, is evident from this circumstance, atonement was appointed to be made in cases of natural infirmity, or ceremonial uncleanness which certainly did not involve the idea of moral defilement. After child-birth the female was kept distant from the sanctuary, for a limited time, after which atonement was made for her; it cannot mean that she had incurred the displeasure of God by

sin, God will remember their iniquities no more against them, their sin is like a thing entirely covered, so as no more to appear, See Isa. i. 16, 17, 18. Ezek. 18 Chap.

* Psa. xxxii. 1. and Rom. iv. 7. The forgiving of sin is called covering it.

+ That the Hebrew word Copher does not necessarily mean a price paid to justice, to exonerate the sinner from punishment, but that it relates rather to the exercise of divine mercy, appears from its being, as a noun, the name of the covering of the ark of the covenant, which our translators have, I believe, uniformly rendered mercyseat and it can hardly be supposed that it should have a clear different meaning when applied to the covering of the ark from what it has when applied to the jewish sacrifices, and to what the jewish priests did for the people, seeing these things were all closely connected, as parts of the same system of religion. That the transla tors understood Copher sometimes to mean mercy and forgiveness appears from the manner in which they rendered it in the following passages, Deut. xxi. 18. Chap. 32. 43. Jer. xviii. 23. Psa. lxxviii. 38 where we meet with the words, merciful, forgiven, forgave.

obeying his command, 'be fruitful and multiply," and that a sacrifice was necessary to avert that displeasure, but an offering was presented as the mean of bringing her nigh and reuniting her to the congregation of the LORD after her separation. (Lev. 12. chap.) It was a mode of legal cleansing merely; for no moral pollution could be incurred by her separation. Atonement was also made for inanimate things; but these were incapable of moral defilement, An infected house was to be cleansed by atonement being made for it. (Lev. xiv. 53.) This ceremonial seems to have been intended to prevent the spread of contagion, and to show when the house needed no longer to be avoided; figuratively, to set it at one with the neighbourhood. Aaron was commanded to make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, for the tabernacle, and for the altar; (Lev. xvi. 33.) not that God was angry with these things, and a bleeding victim became necessary to appease his anger; but to denote that the sanctuary, tabernacle and altar were consecrated to God, that the people might regard them with one general feeling of piety. On the great day of atonement, under the law, the people of Israel were brought nigh before JEHOVAH, to express their penitence for sin, to take refuge in the divine mercy, and to renew the expression of their obedience. (Lev. 16 chap.) Without real pe nitence, confidence in the mercy of God, and obedience to his commands, all their sacrifices, and all that the priest could do for them, would have been useless.

One thing is very observable in the whole of what we read concerning atonement in the Old Testament; it is, that every part of the ceremonial was intended to fill the people with sentiments of piety and virtue, to stimulate them to devote themselves to God as a holy people in other words to bring them nigh to him as his worshippers with a pious regard to his character and will. Indeed the true sense of making atonement for any person or thing, in the Old Testament, seems to be the making it, or him, clean, or proper for the divine service.* But this is very different from the notion of satisfaction for sins.

It is contended by our opponents that, because, under the law, the forgiveness of sins was received by the offender, through the medium of a sacrifice, therefore the sacrifice was a satisfaction for the offence; but this is a false conclusion. The forgiveness of sins is now received through the medium of the gospel,, which is called the word of reconcilia-. tion, because it reconciles, or brings the world nigh to God; but will any man say the gospel is a satis-: faction for sins? Under the law the mercy of God

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* See an excellent essay on the doctrine of atonement in the THEOLOGICAL REPOSOTORY, Vol. iii. P. 385, &c. The Hebrew word, Copher, translated atonement, frequently means either moral or ceremonial cleansing and in this sense our translators have taken it in the following passages. 1 Sam. iii. 14. Isa. vi. 7. & xxii. 14. & xxvii. 9. Ezek. xliii. 20, 26. Psa. lxv. 3. & lxxix. 9. In these passages they have rendered it by the words purge, and purged.

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