has interposed; but the benefit of the interposition is not commensurate with the fatal consequences of the offence, unless a part be made equal to the whole. All are ruined and a part are saved: yet, if the satisfaction was infinite, does not justice require, that the entire result of evil from Adam's offence, even admitting its guilt to be infinite, should be at once exterminated, and that none of his posterity should come into being under worse conditions than if Adam had never offended? It may be said that were all men believers, the benefit of the atonement would be extended to all, and that it is therefore the fault of man if the benefit is not commensurate with the evil. But there is this material difference in the dispensation of justice, by which sentence of death was pronounced upon all men, and that of mercy, by which a propitiation is set forth, that in the former all was absolute and unconditional, and nothing suspended upon the concurrence, acquiescence, act, or volition of Adam's posterity; while all the benefit of the latter is suspended upon an act of faith in him who shall receive the benefit. This act of faith also depends upon the operation of the spirit of God; and that operation, not upon the will of man, but the election of God: and as that election embraces but a part of Adam's offspring, it follows undeniably, that though all are comprehended in the condemnation and injury of Adam's offence, a part only receive or can receive any benefit from the atonemeut by Christ. Let this supposed dis pensation of heaven be compared with Paul's view of the Christian dispensation in the 5th chapter of his epistle to the Romans. Whatever be the interpretation of his meaning, it is manifest that be there affirms the benefit of Christ's death greatly to exceed the ruin of Adam's offence. But if this be true, the orthodox system is false; and so directly is the final issue of the divine dispensations respecting man on that system opposed to the apostle's declaration, that it is inconceivable how the passage could have proceeded from the pen of any man who looked on to such an issue, and whose religious views had any consistency with those of the Calvinistic theologian. See the Epistle to the Romans, 5th chapter, from the 15th verse to the end. J. M. HA SIR, York, Feb. 13, 1815. JAVING reason to believe that many persons besides your correspondent Biblicus, [ix. 412 and 689.] are desirous of hearing what progress has been made in the proposed Edition of the Family Bible, I beg leave to inform such of them as may be readers of the Monthly Repository that it is proceeding with as much rapidity as the difficulty, and importance of the work, and the other occupations in which I am much and necessarily engaged, will allow. Not more than five months have elapsed since I felt myself authorized by a return of the lists of Subscribers, to enter upon my arduous task-and no one who will for a moment refer to the Prospectus, and consider what that task is, will imagine, that any great progress can yet have been made. I have promised, and every day more fully convinces me that it is essentially necessary, most carefully to revise the public version. This is the first step in my undertaking, and till I have corrected the text, I cannot venture to write a single note. Let any one reflect upon what such a revision implies; upon the many difficulties which must arise in determining the true readings of the original text, upon the many obscure passages which after that process must still remain, upon the time and labour required to compare even the principal of the ancient and modern versions with our own, and he will not be surprised to learn that I am still, and probably, for some time to come, shall be occupied, in this first part of my work. It is impossible, at present, to fix any time when the Pentateuch-which I apprehend will form the first Part-will be ready for the press; but the subscribers may rest assured that no exertion shall be spared to hasten the publication, as much as shall be consistent with other important duties incumbent upon me, and the extreme care and caution which such a work demands. In reply to an inquiry in the first letter of Biblicus (M. Rep. Vol. ix. p 412), I beg leave to state that I do not mean to adopt the form of the common version, but to divide the text into suitable sections and paragraphs, and place the numbers by which the chapters and verses are distinguished, in the margin. It is my intention, at present, to print at 456 The Doctrine of Common Sense with regard to Sacrifices. Letter II. consciences. The far greater part of obeying the voice of the Lord: be hold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams!" The acceptance, therefore, of the offering, as in the first age of the world, depended upon the spirit and character of the worshipper; read that fine Psalm, 1., see also, Psalm li., vers. 16, and 17, "For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it thee; thou delightest not in burnt offering, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit." Read the first, and beginning of the last, chapters of Isaiah. We are now, I hope, prepared to hear what the New Testament says concerning the atonement for the soul, that is, the life: "The blood (the life) is the atonement for the soul;" the appointed and accepted sacrifice was the mean and sign of reconciliation; the ilasterion, or mercy. seat in the tabernacle was the reconciliation residence, and this seat, like the altar, &c. was atoned,* that is, at-one-ed with the people by the blood of the atonement, or covenant of reconciliation combination, or fellowship, so Rom. v.; "we being reconciled (to God) shall be saved by Christ's life, by whom we have now (at length) received the atonement." The Gentile believes, the sinner repents; they enter into covenant with their God and he receives and forgives them, 1 Johni. 1,5, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his son Jesus Christ," that is, we are in covenant with God and invite you to enjoy the same privilege. I challenge biblical critics to shew a single passage in all the New Testament, in which the Greek word rendered atonement is used in any other sense than that of reconciliation, or where God is ever said to be reconciled to man by the death of Christ; or any one instance in all the scriptures, in which an atonement is represented as an expiatory sacrifice, by the tranfer of guilt from the sinner's conscience to the devoted creature or person. There are two passages particularly, in The word "one" was formerly pronounced "own," and is so still in some parts of the west of England. Persons in covenant with God are his own people, he appropriates them to himself. of condemnation against I know not what immense proportion of the Christian worid Methodists, Calvinists, Orthodox, Evangelical, Catholic, and that by "A Catholic Christian," one who feels ashamed of such a professed friend, but real enemy to justice, truth, and candour," as I. O fie! O fie! When I say, that the note-writer, having hazarded such an extraordinary assertion concerning Mr. J. and his book, "did not know his man," "A Catholic Christian" only replies, that it is a "vulgar expression." I am sorry for as much vulgarity as the expression contains; but it is of rather greater consequence whether it be true or not. I reprobated the manner in which Gibbon and Unitarianism are associated by the note-writer-having observed this sort of policy to be very prevalent among the orthodox-and I queried if the simple and ignorant are not necessarily deluded by such a ruse. I can yet conceive of no better causes to account for such conduct than those mentioned: "want of charity-or of knowledge-or of honesty." "A Catholic Christian" may be greatly pleased with this ruse de guerre; but when I, and perhaps some other Unitarians, observe writers discover a fondness for such juxtaposition,--Voltaire and Priestley, Belsham and Hume, Unitarianism and Infidelity, Socinianism and Scepticism, we are no longer imposed upon by false professions of liberality and candour. Such fair drapery cannot disguise the cloven foot of bigotry. When I pointedly ask, "what are the puerilities of Unitarianism?" and observe that "we have no bells nor other such good things," I am surprised that "A Catholic Christian" will not answer the question, but I greatly admire his panegyric on bells. I am sorry he should suspect me of sneering, but the truth really is that I have lately been reading Dr. Magee, and if I have caught a little of his manner, I hope the fault is venial. To have noticed all the remarks of “A Catholic Christian," especially to have examined him "paragraph by paragraph," as he did me, would have extended such an inconsiderable controversy as this to an unreasonable length. The main question is sufficiently settled; and with that I am fully satisfied. After destroying his main pillar, I shall not carry my resentment so far as not to leave one stone upon another. I should like to see more of this forbearance in disputes of this nature. A bad spirit is the worst of all errors, and let Unitarians guard against this most vigilantly. My antagonist, indeed, has charged me with a superabundant portion of it; but his remarks and mine are before your readers, it is their business to compare and judge for themselves. To give my opponent a fair word at parting, and to convince him, if I can, that I part without ill blood-I thank him for correcting my misnomer. The conclusion, however, which he draws from the mistake, and the pun which he says is contained in the words quoted from the scriptures, I leave to the consideration of our readers.. I may now, Sir, I hope, without too much presumption, adopt my former signature of A Friend of Justice, Truth and Higham Hill, March 1, 1815. HE reason why I addressed you a a little while ago [x. 76--73.] was, that I wished for once to enter my protest as an individual against a doctrine which is as dishonourable to God as, were it true, it would be fatal to the happiness of man; and I did not think that a better opportunity would offer than that of which, through your indulgence, I availed myself. Nor do I know any evasion by which the force of the observations which I then made can be eluded, except the following, that man is incompetent to pronounce upon the plaus of an infinite Being. This as a general propo. sition will be admitted. But let the character of this infinite Being be defined, and let a certain conduct be attributed to him which I can distinctly comprehend, and I shall be able to judge whether there is or is not a consistency between the acknowledged attributes of this great Being and the conduct ascribed to him. Let this observation be applied to the Calvinistic system of theology. God is represented as a Being infinite in power, wisdom, goodness, holiness and justice. But it is maintained that his human offspring, in consequence of the transgression of their first pa 144 Mrs. Cappe on her proposed History of the Acts of the Apostles. best means. rents, are brought into existence with Before I dismiss the subject from my pen, perhaps for ever, with your permission I should be glad to make one or two observations more. God is allowed to be infinitely good. But according to the system which I am opposing no ray or trace of goodness appears in the issue of his dispensations towards the majority of mankind. Their condition is the same under the best of beings as it would have been under the worst ! Much has been said respecting vindictive justice as demanding the eternal punishment of sin. It would be easy to prove that the expression vindictive justice is egregiously incorrect. Punishment when inflicted for some object of utility is not vindictive, and when it goes beyond this object it is universally denominated cruelty. But waving this, if any case can be imagined which excludes the exercise of vindictive justice, it is that of Adam's helpless offspring. Born with a nature totally depraved, they are no more the proper subjects of vindictive punishment than those brute animals whose natural propensities are savage and ferocious. My last observation respects the infinite satisfaction which Jesus Christ is supposed to have made to vindictive justice for the sins of the elect. To say nothing of the other absurdities with which this notion abounds, if sin is an infinite evil in the case of the individual, it might be objected that the death of Christ could only do away the guilt of one sinner, and the rest must be pardoned gratuitously. Should it on the other hand be said that the combined guilt of a multitude cannot add to that which is already infinite, it unquestionably follows that the death of Christ was, in itself considered, an equivalent for the sins of the whole world. Why, then, is it not accepted as such? The debt is discharged, and yet the debtor not set free. What nameless attribute of the Divine Nature is it which remains thus inexorable, or how comes it to pass that a man should do more mischief than a God could repair ? I remain, Sir, your's, &c. zine for Nov. last, [ix. 674.] respecting pressure of what appeared more immediate duties, and partly from an apprehension induced by the slow circulation of the former work, and the little notice it seems to have excited, that the time was not yet come when his laborious researches in the extensive field of scripture criticism, would be justly appreciated. Your respectable correspondent will probably be glad to hear that another volume of Mr. Cappe's sermons is preparing for the press, which it is my intention to dedicate to the young men educated in the York College. The just, extensive and striking views they every where exhibit of the divine goodness, and of human duty, of the hopes and fears, the important interests and final expectations of rational and accountable beings, may operate, it is hoped, as a powerful stimulus, in aid of the able instruction they are daily receiving from their excellent tutors, to the attainment of that exemplary conduct; that purity of heart and holiness of life, which is the best and only effectual recommendation of more just and enlightened principles. Since the first publication of " The Life of Christ," I have had an Index printed of the passages and phrases of scripture explained or illustrated in the notes, with reference to the page, book, chapter and verse, and will send a few copies to Mr. David Eaton, bookseller, High Holborn, requesting him to give a copy to any possessor of the volume as it was first circulated, who may desire to have it. By an early insertion of the above, you will much oblige, Sir, Your constant reader, WE The Fathers. E lately gave [p. 15-21] the character of the Fathers in an eloquent paper from the Edinburgh Review. Lest the young student should be lulled into a neglect of these writers by so peremptory and unfavourable a sentence, we here present him with a brief account of the Latin Fathers, from a work of considerable merit, namely, An Introduction to the Literary History of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, (8vo. 1798.) pp. 25-27. "Nor was the cause of learning less powerfully supported by the Christian writers. During the first century, the propagation of our religion was entrusted to a higher agency than human abilities; when Providence ceased to interest itself so directly in its behalf, the Christian scholar cultivated with no ordinary success the powers of reason and the gifts of learning. The second and third centuries are distinguished by a crowd of eminent writers; never were dialectics more skilfully employed, nor philosophy pressed into a better service, nor eloquence used with a more brilliant effect. Tertullian, though he cannot be classed with the best authors of the age of the Antonines, possessed a rough, but flowing eloquence, was well versed in the philosophy of the times, and a master of its polite literature. In Minutius Felix he found a formidable rival, or a happy imitator. Arnobius does not sink beneath the level of their composition, and Cyprian rises above it by the noblest efforts of cloquence and learning. But it was in the fourth century, when the language was almost lost in a corrupt and barbarous dialect, that the Christians proved its last and truest friends, and took a distinguished lead in literary pursuits and philosophical studies. The emperors wisely encouraged a spirit of emulation amongst them, founded schools, erected libraries, and lavished honours on the most eminent scholars. That they far excelled their Pagan opponents has never been denied. Hilary of Poitiers was an able and fluent writer, and Lactantius has often been compared and once preferred to the first name in Latin eloquence. St. Ambrose was a learned and powerful composer. To mention the name of St. Jerome is to convey the idea of a laborious, profound, animated, and eloquent au thor. No one will dispute the merits of St. Augustine: and Sulpicius Severus, the Christian Sallust, claims equal commendation for the orthodoxy of his doctrine and the latinity of his style. Of these writers it is not too much to say, that their labours were eminently serviceable at this period of their exertion, and they have the merit of supporting the cause of learning to the very last moment that it was tenable. With the civilians, the theologians may claim the honour of contributing to preserve the existence and |