The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-02-26
AMONG THE CHURCHES.
ATONEMENT: ITS PRIMARY
AND ORIGINAL MEANING.

liable to fall into sin, bocauis Of their in
nocence as we'll as ignorance. God knows
all this because. he Is omniscient. lie
cause He has fore knowledge. lie has
in fact, pre-ordained that the frai and
weak men, women, and children whom
lie has created shall foil into sin. And
yet God has threateasd mankind with
death and eternal elimination If they do
fall into sin. Man Is In a dilemma out
of which there is no issue. SO when all
mankind fall into sin. as from their ma
ture as created by God, they surely must,
the wrath Of God, their father, IL terrible
and cannot be sppensed. God In wrath
and anger dooms mankind to death and
everlasting punishment; but later on God
inodilles this and chooses to help man
out by u bloody sacrifice; and the victim
of this sacrifice Is HIS only begotten Son,
whom he gives over To q horrible end
bloody death by crucifxiop. This is an
expistioD, or sacrifice for the sins Of all
mankind. This bloody sacrifice on the
GROSS of Calvary is the "atonement, or
reparation and expiation for mortal sin.
according to theolosy's definition. Under
the world "Atonsment" we md this
definition also aptly given by Crabb in
bis synonyms Of English words:
Offences brtween man and man are
sometimes atoued for by an acknow ledg-
mept Of error; but offences toward God
require an explatory sacrifice. which our
Saviour has been pleased to take on him
self. that we, through him, might become
partakers of eternal life. -
That is, mortal man may sometimes
allow mis- feilowman TO atone for an
offence by confession of error but God
does mt do this. He requires in all casss
q sacrifice or expiatoIy Offering to appeass
His wrath.
Nearly 20 centuries ago God sent his d.
vine msssage Of life and light to iilumine
a worll falisn into darkness and error.
For breif period after the Son of God
had departed from earth. the kingdom Of
God, which He declared was even then at
hanG, remained pregnant and strong and
beautiful In the minds and souls of men !;
but all too soon the effort was put forth
to transform that Divine Kingdom into
material and visible monarchy. In which
the saints should Inherit tho earth in
literal way. Later on Roman emperor
sat on his throne in the name of Christ,
and his lsgions, inspired with a SO called
Christianity. wers, man for man. fiercer
and more terrible in war than the savage
paSans whom they conquered. The Di-
vine Light which once Illuminated the
worlt. became all too soon obscufed. and
in Its plscs blazed gorgeous lamps of ma
tsrisl tire liR hting mp Christian temples
who's, splsndor rsbuked tue lowly sim
plicity of early Christianity. System
after system Of Christian theology rose
ana feel. all more or less characterized
by man made wisdom super imposed upon
the PLAIN and simple teachings of Jesus
Christ The atonement which brought
man into harmony with and knowledge
of God. was under various systems Of
theology. construed to mean an expiatory
and bloody sacrifice made by the Son of
God, whereby He suffered death Of aw-
ful torture to apes, the wrath of His
own father, which had been visited upon
the weak, erring, and .inful children Of
earth.
And in the darkness which again seems
TO cover the world, we find 1t hard 10
read Alright the plain Scripture left for
our salvation and strengthening by Che
geptle Saviour: hut ns we grope in dark
ness and despair We seem TO hear the
words of another divine message coming
to Us across tho right. Our friends.
standing above us OF the mountain
heights Of faith, tell us they can see the
first b ans Of RADIANT morniug-the
dawn Of day which shall pour life and
li-ht into the souls Of all mankind.
We who yet remain in the valley Of the
shadow, hear these voices, and are in.
spired with hope; and we long TO ascend
the pathway 10 thoss Dtleotable Noun
taips whore we also may perceive the
dawn of day.-W. ). Bin. Christian Sci
ence Journal.