St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-29
THE ATONEN1ENT.
The Three Ways of Viewing the
Supreme Sacrifice.

The Three Ways of Viewing the
Supreme Sacrifice.
AT Westminster church yesterday
Rev. d. j. Burrell preached upon
''Caiaphas in the AtOnement."
In the Hall Gazith the rabbis were
assembled to consider what should be
done with Jesus, the disturber. Events
had taken such turn that something
must be done speedily. One suggested
one measure, another another. Then
CaiaphaS, arrogant as ever and quite
out of patience, arose and said: Eye
know nothing. The path of eXpediency
is plain. The public welfare is endan-
danger by this man. Let him die! In
nocent or guilty, let him die for the
people!" The sacred writer adds that
Caiaphas spoke better than he knew; in
reality he prophesid the vicarious death
of Jesus.
There are three ways of viewing the
At0nement. The moral. which repre-
sents Christ as dying for moral effect {;
that is, to show forth the beauty of love
and holiness and the other heavenly
graces. The Governmental. which pre-
sents His death as didactic work, the
object being to show Gods displeasure
against sin. And the VicariouS, which
AYERS that Jesus took the place of the
sinner and died as his substitute before
the law.
Jehovah lifted up his rod;
o Christ, it fell on Thee
Thou vast sore stricken of thy God,
There's not one blow for me-"
The reasons which commend this
view to the AtOnement are as follows:
FirSt-It is according to universal
analogy. The cOmmOneSt thing in our
daily experience is vicariOuS pam. The
mother suffers for her child; the home
suffers for 1.-The black Sheep" society
suffers for its criminal classes. This
fact is so observable that Luthardt is
moved to say, "Love is substitutionary
in its very nature"
Second-dt is in harmony with the
conviction of the race. The altar and
the sacrifice are found everywhere.
Third-It is agreeable to the nature
and character OF God. He is a SYM
metrical Being, infinite in His wisdom,
holiness, justice, goodness and truth.
Fourth-1t is just and equitable.
There are three parties to the covenant
of grace, namely: God, the Savior,
and the Sinner. God gives His only be-
gotten Son, the Son goes to the altar
saying: lin the volume of the book it
is written, rejoice to do thy WILL"
and the sinner, accepting the benefits
of the great sacrifice, enters into life.
These three are the only parties imme-
diately concerned in the transaction. If
each of these is willing, vino shall OBJ
ject? Or where is the unfairness or in
justice of it?
Fifth-It makes for righteousness.
"What shall we say then? Shall we
continue in sin that grace may abound?
God Forbid" This evangelical view of
the atonement makes men pure, honest,
upright in their daily life. We invite
comparison of the character of church
members generally with that Of other
people. ''Ye are the light of the world"
SiXth-It is scriptural. The Bible is
full of the doctrine of vicarious sacrifice
from the protevangel in paradise to the
vision of the lamb slain in the Apoca-
lypse. He was made sin for US who
knew no sin, that we might be made
| the righteousness of God in Him.
''He bare our sins in His own body on
the tree"
Seventh-It is the only plan ever pro-
posed for the deliverance of soul from
the penalty of sin. There are many
systems of reformation. many theories
of ''ethical culture;;" but this atone
ment of Jesus stands alone as profess
ing to save sinner from eternal, spirit
ual death.