and even request to be put to death; but this would not justify a magistrate in destroying his life, nor legalize his murder.

Finally: On the principles advocated by our brethren, NO INTELLIGIBLE end is answered by the Saviour's death. They indeed think otherwise; and one of them has said, "The atonement was a scheme devised by Infinite Wisdom, by which the ends of punishment can be completely satisfied, and yet the sinner spared." On our scheme this appears to be perfectly true; but on that of the new school, it will be found unable to stand the test of a rigid examination. View the death of Christ in the light of their principles, and it will be seen to answer no one legitimate end of punishment.

The principal end of punishment is the satisfaction due to Divine justice for the breach of God's holy law and the insult offered to his infinite majesty. But according to the theory of our brethren this is not answered by the Saviour's death; for they deny that distributive justice had any thing

to do with that awful transaction, and it has just been shown that public justice could not be satisfied by it; because it had no demands against him. Vindicating the honour of the Divine law, is another end of punishment. Admit, as we do, that Christ placed himself under the penal demands of the law, and suffered the penalty denounced against disobedience, and we see clearly how the law was honoured by his atonement; but deny, as the new school do, that the law had any penal demands against him and that he did suffer its penalty, and surely it will be absurd to say that the law in its penal demands was honoured by sufferings which they did not require, and which of consequence afforded them no satisfaction. A display of the evil of sin, and of the hatred which a holy God bears to it, is another end of punishment. If Jesus Christ was charged with the sins of his people and really bore the punishment which they deserved, then the infinite evil of sin and the Divine hatred against it appear in a strong, convincing and glaring light, in those

dreadful sufferings which Jehovah required of his own and well beloved Son, in making an atonement; and without which he would not, and could not, forgive his offending creatures. But if Jesus Christ was not only perfectly holy in himself, but, as our brethren affirm, not at all charged with the sins of men, and not at all responsible for them, we cannot see how the evil of sin and the Divine hatred of it, appear in sufferings which were not designed as a punishment of sin. Finally: another end of punishment is to warn the creatures of God against the evil of disobedience. Such a warning was indeed, on our principles, given to the universe in the shameful death of Immanuel but, if, according to the new doctrine, Jehovah seized this glorious person, and put him to a death which his violated law did not demand and which could be no satisfaction to its penalty; if he subjected him to the most dreadful sufferings, neither on account of any personal sin, nor on account of any imputed sin, it is not conceivable how such a procedure could

convey to rational creatures a warning against the danger of disobedience. It was rather calculated to alarm the obedient for their safety, and shake their confidence that they should continue to enjoy happiness, so long as they persevered in their allegiance and duty to their almighty sovereign.

Thus it appears, on the principles of the new school, that no end of punishment is answered by the death of Christ. It seems to be an unintelligible transaction. We do not see how our brethren can avoid, in their march of fancied improvement, coming to the conclusion to which the new discoveries of Dr. Murdock has led him; that the death of Christ is a mere symbol, or arbitrary appointment of heaven, to signify the divine mind in relation to a certain thing.

Affectionately yours.

LETTER X.

The Love of God.

MY DEAR BROTHER,

The theories of the two schools in relation to Divine love, will be examined in this letter. I shall endeavour to prove that the doctrine of the Old School puts a HIGHER HONOUR on the LOVE of God manifested in the gift of his only Son, as our atoning sacrifice, than that of the New.

In holy scripture this love is celebrated as the highest and most glorious display of love that was ever made. Accordingly, we contemplate it as that special love, which Jehovah was pleased to entertain for all whom he designed to bring to the enjoyment of everlasting happiness. We believe that, for the consistent and honourable exercise of this amazing and eternal love, and that it might flow out to them in its rich and exuberant blessings, he sent his