234 ITS RELATION TO THE PROVIDENCE of God. and public administration of providence on the ground of his atonement. If he can only demand the blessings which he has purchased for a certain number, it is impossible, or at any rate, unintelligible, how he can officially as public organ of government distribute the bounties of providence universally to all men. 235 CHAPTER VIII. ON THE ATONEMENT IN ITS RELATION TO THE WHOLE SYSTEM OF DIVINE TRUTH. SECTION I. Every Divine Truth related to the Atonement. THE entire collection of doctrines and facts, found in the sacred scriptures, is called a system of divine truth, not because their contents are given in a systematical arrangement of classes, and orders, and kinds, but because they present a complete and a harmonious body of information, upon all the subjects of faith and practice. We find in the scripture the truths of theology, as, in nature, we find the truths of botany, mineralogy, or zoology, wisely strewn in copious and lovely variety. Yet, in both cases, these vast diversities form one complete whole system. Thus the analogy from nature-the reference of scripture to "first principles," and to "the proportion of faith," the abuse of truth when taken out of its connexion,-the beauty of truth in its own practical bearing and position, and the consistency of one truth with the entire mass of all truths, war rant us in regarding the scriptures as presenting to us a system of divine truth. Of this entire system of divine truth, the Lord Jesus Christ is the central orb, in whom is gathered all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He is the very Sun of the system, full of grace and truth; -the Sun which first garnished the dark horizon of Eden with a day-spring from on high. The scriptures of the Old and New Testament present us with the whole "truth, as it is in Jesus," that "in all things he might have the pre-eminence," and be, as to the whole arrangement, "all in all." The Christian student, therefore, will, as well from cordial inclination, as from public profession, be disposed to *Dr. RYLAND invited the Rev. ANDREW FULLER to address to him a series of monthly letters which, when finished, would form a complete body of divinity. After this arrangement, Fuller only lived to write nine. In the third letter he makes these remarks. "I do not know how it may prove on trial, but I wish to begin with the centre of Christianity,— the doctrine of the cross, and to work round it; or, with what may be called the heart of Christianity, and to trace it through its principal veins or relations, both in doctrine and practice. If Christianity had not been comprehended in this doctrine, the apostle, who shunned not to declare the whole counsel of God, could not have determined to know nothing else in his ministry. The whole of the Christian system appears to be presupposed by it; included in it, or to arise from it: if, therefore, I write any thing, it will be on this principle."-Fuller's Works, vol. iv., p. 340. Ed. 1824. Had this able divine lived to work out such a scheme of truly Christian divinity, the tone of British theology would, probably, have been much improved, and theological science much advanced. consider and to view every truth according to its bearing and relation to the person and the work of Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life, the faithful and the true witness. Christ himself says, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth." "The truth" is the pure verity and the simple reality of the case, as the state of things exist between God and man. Upon this case every truth bears, and with every such truth the atonement of Christ is connected:-the whole of his undertaking bears witness unto it. I. All the truths contained in the prophecies of the scriptures are related to the atonement of Christ. It was prophesied that this world should, in a given time, be favoured with the appearance of an extraordinary personage. He was marked out as "the Seed of the woman, the Shiloh, the Prophet, the Wonderful, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Lord our Righteousness, the Desire of all nations, the Messenger of the covenant." The atoning Mediator claimed to himself the honour of being this very personage, to whom all the prophets bore witness. Prophecy had revealed that this personage was to make his appearance in the character of the Deliverer of man. As the Seed of the woman, he was to bruise the head of the serpent that had enslaved and ruined man. He was to be for a sanctuary, and to come, "bringing salvation." The Lord Christ was born a Saviour, and he came to seek and to save that which was lost. God sent his Son to the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He is the Personage whom the prophets meant, for there is no salvation in any other, nor any other name among men given by which we must be saved. He was made under the law, that he might redeem them who were under the law. The deliverance which, it was prophesied this personage was to effect, was a deliverance from sin. It was prophesied that he should make an end of sin, that is, to open a way for the just God to deal with a sinner as if he had not sinned; sin, being as it were, blotted out of the account. He was to effect this deliverance as a priest on his throne, and as a priest after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord Christ took upon him the name Jesus because he would deliver his people from their sins. He appeared as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. He has redeemed us from the curse of the law. The Jews misunderstood this class of prophecies, and interpreted them as signifying deliverance from civil thraldom, and from political evils. Whereas, he himself declares that he came to call sinners; and his gospel assures that there is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. It was predicted that this personage should effect this deliverance from sin, not by power, but by his own substitutionary and vicarious sufferings. He was to be a man of sorrows, and acquainted with |