Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-06-29
&eadima for the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
[orInal.J
THE ATONEMENT.

[oriaualj
THE ATONEMENT.
Jesus Christ came into the world to save
sinners. All the names given him imply this.
He is called our redeemer, and as redeemer he
executes the office a prophet, and of priest,
and of king AS prophet, he instructs his
people by his word and spirit; as king, he
rules over his people, subduing all his own en-
emies and all the enemies Of his people. 1t
was as a priest that Jesus Christ made an
atonement for the sins of his people. The
principal functions of the priesthood of Christ
are the satisfaction he rendered to the law and
justice of Gods law, and his continual inter-
cession in behalf of his people. The atone
ment was made here upon earth; the interces-
sion is made in heaven. The atonement was
complete in all it's parts, and finished in every
respect, when, eighteen hundred years ago, he
died upon the cross The work of interces-
sion is still going on, and will continue until
all the redeemed are saved from sin and placed
on Gods fright hand, where there are pleas
ures forevermore. BY atonement is meant
that satisfaction which Jesus Christ rendered
to the law of God in the stead of his people,
thus restoring peace between God and man.
1t is manifest that no mere creature could
reinstate man in Gods favor. The individual
who would undertake the work of making an
atonement must, Of necessity, receive the ap-
pointment from God he must be possessed of
our nature he must be without sin, and yet
under the law.
The Scriptures teach US that God sent his
son into the world, that he was made of wo-
man, that he was separate from sin, and that
he was under the law. Jesus Christ, then, ac-
cording to the testimony Of the Scriptures,
possessed all the necessary prerequisites in Or
der to undertake the work of redemption.
The question may be asked, Whatdid Christ
do in order to save sinners To this it may
be replied, He obeyed the law.
One, and very important relation, which
Christ sustained to his people was that of a
surety. A surety is one who stands for or in
the stead of another. AS surety Christ was
made under the law as demanding obedience
and threatening death. The law was broken
by Adam, but this did not release Adam from
the obligation to obey the law. All Adams
posterity became involved in the results of his
transgression. AS surety, Christ obeyed the
preceptive part of the law, and satisfied its
penal demands. He was obedent unto DEATH
Christ was more than surety, he was SUBJ
stitute The law of God demanded blood.
Man, by his sin, exposed himself to Gods
wrath and curse For sin, and in the room Of
the sinner, Jesus Christ died, the just for the
unjust.
There are some persons who hold that sin
can be pardoned and the sinner saved without
an atonement. If this be true, we may safely
conclude that no atOnement was made. God
never does unnecessary things
The necessity of an atonement is involved
in the purpose of God to save sinners. 1t is
true that no absolute necessity compelled God
to provide satisfaction for sin. Wemay say
that in the exercise of all the attributes of his
holy nature, he might have left Adam in his
sins, as angels who kept not their first estate
were left. This he did not do, but purposed
to save sinners of Adams race through re-
deemer. That this purpose to save sinners
might be carried out, it was necessary that an
atonement be made. This was demanded by
the holiness of God. Such is the holiness of
| God that he cannot look upon sin without dis
appreciation. To pardon sin or not to punish
sin, which is the same thing, without satisfac-
ton, would be doing great violence to the
holy nature of God. Both the guilt and pol
luton of sin must be removed, or God never
can save the sinner: The necessity for an
atonement arises from the simple fact that
it is the purpose of God to save sinners, and
this purpose must be carried out in strict ac-
cordance with the holiness of God.
The justice of God demands that an atone
ment be made, in order that the purpose to
save may be consummated. Justice is that at
tribute of Gods nature which prompts him to
do right. 1t is right topunish the wicked and
bestow all promised blessings upon the right
eous. Mercy pleads that the sinner be spared,
but Justice demands that he die. All that
sovereignty can do is to provide a substitute
for the sinner. God was under no necessity
to provide this substitute, except the necessity
arising from the purpose to save sinners. In
accordance with this purpose to save, the sub
stitute is furnished, and the claims of justice
are met, and the cry Of mercy is heard. But
the goodness of God demands that an atone
ment be made in order to the salvation of sim
nerS.
The object of goodness, as exercised by God,
is to make his creatures happy. Happiness
and sin are Incompatible There can be no
misery where there is no sin, and where there
is sin there must be misery. Totreat all alike,
irrespective Of their acts, would not be an evil
dence of goodness. The remains Of goodness
in man revolts at the idea of placing the obe-
dent and the disobedient on a level. Were
such course adopted by men generally, it
would effectually remove all incentives to the
practice of virtue, and encourage vice and i'm
morality. The goodness of God, as well as
the justice of God, prompts him to do right,
and right consists in bestowing all promised
rewards upon the obedient, and in inhicting
all the threatened punishments upon the DISC
bedient.
DESIGN OF THE EMINISTRY.-Let it be writ
ten in letters of light, that the conversion of
the soul of apostate man to God is the chief
loo;rn of tbo p,inictrv Tho prao okor Of tho