The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1856-02-02


manisers of Oxford. Among these are
Prof. Baden Powell, and Jowett, the latter
of whom is alluded to by this correspondent.
Mr.. Jowett published work on the Epls-
ties of St. Paul, which secuted at their pie
nary inspiration, and vilifed the doctrine of
the atonement and other doctrines, in very
offensive terms. The Tractarians were
aroused, but none of them had the pluck
to attack Prof. Jowett, until DR.. Mcbride,
of Magdalen Hall, and DIR. Golightly, of
Oriel College, both evangelicals, took the
initiative as related in the above extract,
and called on the Vice-Chancellor to require
Prof. J. to subscribe the Articles. In their
statement, which the correspondence above
does not give, they recite some of the Pro-
fessor's errors in the following terms:
"This work contains statements respect
inc the doctrine of the Atonement, which
appear to us to be open to grave exception.
After maintaining (vol. IL, p. 1867 that sa-
tisfaction is inconsistent with the divine
attributes, he asks, In what did the salts
faction of Christ consist? Was 1t that God
was angry and needed to be propitiated,
like some heather deity Of old?-such
thought refutes itself by the very indigna-
ton which it calls up in the human bosom.
Or, that as che looked upon the face of his
Christ" pity gradually took the place of
wrath, and, like some conqueror, he was
willing to include in the reversal of the
sentence not only the hero, but all who
were named after his name ?-human feel
ings again revolt at the idea of attributing
to the God in whom we live, and move, and
have our being, the momentary clemency
of q tyrant. Or, was it that there was a
debt due to him, which must be paid ere its
consequences could be done away?-but
even ga mans" debt may be freely for
given; nor could the after payment change
our sense of the offenders wrong 1--WE are
arguing about what is moral and spiritual,
from what is legal, or more strictly, from
a shadow and fgment of law. Or, that
there were ''some impOssibilities in the ma
ture Of things" which prevented God from
doing other than he did ?-thus we intro
duce a moral principle superior to God, just
as in the Grecian mythology, fate and ne
cessity are superior to Jupiter. But we
have not so learned the divine nature, be-
lieving that God, if he transcend our IDEAS
of morality, can yet never be in any way
contrary to them.'-(Tom. ii. p. 472.)
"Again, he maintains that
"'Not the sacrifice, nor the satisfaction,
nor the ransom, but the greatest act ever
done in this world,-the' act, too, Of one in
our likeness,-is the assurance to us that
God in Christ is reconciled to the world
tom. ii. p. 49,
"These abstracts are from separate
Dissertation on the Atonement. In COM
mentary on the Epistle to the Romans, he
asserts that
"'We are reconciled to God," z Cory.
49, or, "God reconciling us to himself
through Jesus Christ" or, 'God in Christ
reconciling the world unto himself" are the
modes of expression in Scripture used to
describe the work of redemption. God is
Interchangeable; it is we who are reconciled
to him, not he to us.'-(Yol. ii. p. 1927
~"These passages appear to us to contain
doctrine plainly contrary to that of the
Church of England as set forth in her 'Ar-
ticles of Religion, and Book of Common
Prayer.
"The second of the Thirty-nin Articles
asserts that our Saviour 'was crucified, dead
and buried, to reconcile his Father to us,
and to be a sacrifice not only for original
guilt, but also for all actual sins of men,
and the thirty-frst article, that 'the offer
ing of Christ once made is that perfect re-
dempton, Precipitation, and satisfaction for
all the sins of the whole world, both origi-
nal and actual; and there is none other sa-
tisfaction for sin but that alone
SIN the Book of Common Prayer our
Church maintains that our Saviour 'by his
one oblation of himself once offered, made
a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, OBJ
lation, and satisfaction for the sins of the
whole world"
Notwithstanding these heretical opinions,
Mr.. Jowett subscribed the Articles, greatly
tc the indignation of the Tractarians, who
had supposed that such pious frauds were
their peculiar prerogatiye. But now when
they find that the Germanizers can check
mate them at their own game, and practice
the doctrine of Preserve" as dextrously as
themselves, they are very indignant, and
begin to give broad hints about honesty
and sincerityin signing articles. To out
siders like ourselves, there is something
very amusing in this virtuous Indignation
of the Tractarians, and we are reminded of
facts and persons to whom it would be
thought very irreverent to allude in speak
ing of these gentlemen, who affirm that
they have obtained monopoly of the
Church in their adorable Anglican estab-
Gshment.
What this Jowett dispute will end in.
cannot now be foreseen. The two eyange-