Father, who has "given all judgment to the Son," has thus assigned to Him a position regulative as to law and appeasive as to the condemned. In this relation He is specially qualified for the work of mediation on the Divine side. It is He above all others in the universe who might fitly propose and produce whatever alternative for the sentence of the law is possible to justice and adapted to mercy-referring all, as Judge, to the ultimate decision of the Sovereign. Second, His relation to men is essentially representative, i.e. not by authoritative selection, nor by compact, as a " federal head," which would be arbitrary, but by His original connection, as the actual root of the race, in the order of creation. In this sense He is styled "the Firstborn of every creature (or of the whole creation)," ¿.e. as having both priority to creation and a normal unity with it. “For in him were all things created-unto him and for him-and in him all things consist." Pre-eminently is this the case in reference to humanity, the crown and object of all creation within earth limits, and His incarnation is thus to be regarded, not as an arbitrary, unnatural assumption, but rather as the complete expression, for the furtherance of His mediation, of what was inherent in His state "from the beginning of the creation of God." As such, He could, with a strict fitness, beyond that even of Divine appointment, stand for the race (His own race), before God, to suffer for it, obey for it, live, die, rise, and intercede for it, to magnify, and make honourable before Sovereign and subject the law dishonoured by it, and thus obtain eternal redemption for it-harmonising both parties in His own body, "so making peace." Into any other "mystical unity" we need not attempt to penetrate, but this representative unity, growing out of original relation, is sufficiently intelligible, and sufficiently justifies the ways of God to man in atonement.

If a correct solution of the effect of the sacrifice toward God has been reached, its effect toward man, the other party in the reconciliation, is easily apprehended, and can be stated in few words. As a "propitiation set forth" by God, its first designed effect must certainly be persuasive, through the natural principle of impression upon the mental and moral faculties. To this extent the "moral view of the atonement" is unobjectionable, and not only so, but necessary to a complete

Moral effect rests on substantive fact.

381 exhibition of the facts of atonement. God does not work out salvation for sinners, through the great Sacrifice, as a result accomplished, without any participation on their part; and that participation is secured by means of the impression which the truth of the Sacrifice is intended and adapted to make upon them. "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me;" and He draws them " with bands of love, with cords of a man." The only supposable exception to this rule is in the case of those saved to whom He had not been presented, or who were incapable of impression by Him on earth. Yet, correctly understood, they may form no exception; for, even in their case, before their salvation really occurs, by their exemption from the penalty of the law at the tribunal of the Judge of quick and dead, there may be such a "setting forth of the propitiation" to them also (not in any second probation, but in the awaking after death)1 that its due impression will equally be made upon them, as the basis of their acceptance of it-being already essentially or incipiently in a believing condition-by a penitence and faith appropriate to their condition. From first to last, and universally, salvation will thus be only through faith in Jesus Christ produced by an apprehension of Him as "the Lamb that was slain, and that did purchase unto God with His blood men of every tribe and tongue and people and nation."

The necessary qualification and caveat, therefore, to the "moral scheme," so called, is the reiteration of what has been already urged, that it must find its foundation of reason in the reality of the sacrifice, upon whose impression it relies. Without that it is equally void of meaning and of saving efficacy. We adopt the words of Professor Shedd upon a kindred topic: "The objective work of Christ on Calvary must become the subjective experience and rejoicing of the soul itself.” "Pro-testantism," he says, "unites in a living synthesis, the objective atonement with the subjective faith in it."

It remains only to mention in condensed sentences, that the place of the sacrificial aspect of Christ's death in the work of redemption is absolutely central. That work, whether viewed systematically in theology or practically by faith,

This of course is mere speculation, and is intended to meet the case of children dying in infancy, etc.-ED. B. & F. E. R.

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undoubtedly includes all that He was and did as Mediator, everything that lies "between the two eternities" of His existence. But we must guard against the idea that His death was only the culmination or rounding out of the earthly part of it. Whatever might have been the case if he had, for any other purpose, apart from sin and salvation, taken upon Himself humanity, His actual entrance upon it was for this one distinct purpose, out of which sprang the whole Divine scheme, wrought into completeness through the personalities of the Godhead. The Sacrifice of the Son of God was the very core of His incarnation. Everything that He was and did in the world developed from that vital centre and gathered around it, to form in His life the perfect fruitage of Divine mercy-God's unspeakable gift" to men under the double name Immanuel and Jesus.

It is a matter of utmost importance that this be borne in mind both in the teaching and the receiving of the gospel. Dr. Dale, in the opening of his admirable lectures on the atonement (in which, as well as in the volumes of Professor Smeaton and Principal Cunningham, some of the foregoing points are strongly argued) quotes the language of Turretin, who declares the sacrifice of Christ as we have now described it to be "the chief part of our salvation, the anchor of Faith, the refuge of Hope, the rule of Charity, the true foundation of the Christian religion and the richest treasure of the Christian Church." The assertion is not too strong. The tendency sometimes to deny or ignore it has always been followed by a lowering of the quality of preaching, and a corresponding lowering of the quality of piety in the Churches. Sentimentalism has taken the place of spirituality. The sense of Divine holiness and veracity, and of the righteousness of Divine requirements, which is essential to the most vigorous religious life, has been dulled by an inordinate conception of His paternal clemency, and fidelity has been supplanted by sensibility. With individual exceptions, largely due to a previous experience of the truth which subsequent departure has not wholly suppressed, such has been the drift and steady backward sweep in some of the otherwise evangelical portions of the Church. It accounts, in part at least, for the manifest spiritual ebb-tide of late in various quarters. We are persuaded that a general reviving of faith in "the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered

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himself without blemish unto God," would "cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God." It would produce a reviving of the "ministry of reconciliation which is committed to us." It would answer a question recently discussed concerning "the relation of evangelical doctrine to the formation of character," showing it to be, under such revived ministry, with such a revived faith, the link of highest union to the immaculate Lord, and of widest uplifting connection with fallen man. In a word, the genuine sacrifice of Christ crucified is "the power of God and the wisdom of God unto them that are called." Believing it and proclaiming it, we may confidently say, "Who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." H. B. ELLIOT.

MESSRS.

ART. VII.-Current Literature.

ESSRS. T. and T. Clark have issued two more volumes in continuation of the Meyer series of Commentaries, viz., Huther's Pastoral Epistles and Epistles of Peter aud Jude (1). We must confess that continuations, as a rule, are somewhat unfortunate; comparisons are constantly suggested, and one sighs for the vanished master-hand. Nor have we been without this feeling as we have perused the later volumes in this series of Commentaries: Meyer has gone, and has left no one quite fit to fill his peculiar place. But, though this is so, these volumes of Huther are admirable; and those who desire to be "thoroughly furnished" in their study of the Epistles commented upon would do well to have them. The exposition of the Pastoral Epistles is preceded in true German style by a lengthened introduction, and Huther discusses with great elaboration the date of these Epistles, and the place from which each was written. Readers will understand his position with regard to these matters if we quote his general conclusion" (1) that all three Epistles belong to one and the same period of the apostle's life, and (2) that this period does not fall into that portion of the apostle's life with which

(1) The Pastoral Epistles, by J. E. Huther, D.D. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark. The Epistles of Peter and Jude, by same author. Same Publishers.

we are more closely acquainted through Acts and the other Pauline Epistles." In the commentary proper, while we find no special brilliancy, there is much to praise; it is characterised by minuteness of criticism, ability, and suggestiveness; and the wide view of differing opinions upon the text which Huther gives will help the intelligent student to a clear understanding of its meaning. We have formed a like impression regarding the volume upon First and Second Peter and Jude; it is lucid and learned, but not destined to take a first place. And we must say that whilst it is a distinct virtue, as we have said, to have a comprehensive review of differing opinions, the usefulness of the whole is much marred by heaping pages with names of commentators as is done here,-names which are little known save to a very few. We think that in translation some discretion might wisely be used in the reproduction of these. We are bound also to say that the well-known ignorance of German scholars in regard to commentators who are not German is so prominent here as somewhat to offend our national pride, and also to limit the otherwise very considerable value of these Commentaries. The discussion of the authorship of Second Peter gives a very good résumé of the various theories advanced in Germany regarding it; but the author, while tending apparently towards a non-Petrine authorship, has been able to come to no definite conclusion upon the point.

The third volume of Hagenbach's History of Doctrines (2) brings down this history to the most recent period. As now completed, it is really a splendid handbook for the student; indeed no one who would be at home in Church History should be without it. A thorough acquaintance with this one volume would mean a wide acquaintance with the theology of the last two centuries; and one special virtue which it has is the eminent impartiality with which each writer's theories are stated-a virtue which shines all the more when we remember how strong is the temptation to glide from Dogmen geschichte to Dogmatik. The supplementary notes upon the history of English theological thought are excellent, and give a great additional value to the work.

(2) Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark.