phet Daniel clearly expresses this disobedience. They clearly intimate idea, when he predicts, that "the that he was substituted in our beMessiah shall be cut off, but not for half-that he rendered the sacrifice himself." Isaiah, in the fifty-third which we should have rendered— chapter of his prophecy, where he that he bore the iniquities which we exhibits every material circumstance should have borne-that he suffered connected with the death of Christ, the penalty which we should have expresses the same views. He tes- suffered that he was punished, not tifies, that "he hath borne our griefs for any offences of which he had ren"and carried our sorrows-that he dered himself guilty; but for the แ was wounded for our transgres- transgressions which we had com<< sions, and bruised for our iniqui-||mitted—and that he was finally cut "ties-that the chastisement of our off, not for himself, but for those “ peace was upon him, and that by whom he represented, when he suf"his stripes we were healed-that||fered and died on the cross. "he was stricken for the transgres- That this doctrine is revealed in "sions of his people, and that his the holy scriptures, will appear still (( soul, which was poured out unto more satisfactorily from those passa“death, was made an offering for sin." ges which represent Christ as the These predictions of the prophets are meritorious cause of our present jusverified by the language of the apos- tification and future salvation. And tles. St. Peter declares that "Christ here I shall again recur to the testi"hath suffered for our sins, the just mony of St. Paul, because of all the "for the unjust"-and St. Paul af- apostles, he is the most explicit on firms that "God hath made him to this subject. In his Epistle to the "be sin for us who knew no sin, and Romans, he observes, " Being freely "that Christ, who redeemed us from "justified by his grace, through the "the curse of the law, was made a redemption that is in Christ Jesus, curse for us." These concurrent "whom God hath set forth to be a declarations of the prophets and apos-" propitiation through faith in his tles, afford evidence sufficient that "blood, to declare his righteousness they intended to set forth the death" for the remission of sins that are of Jesus Christ, as an expiatory sacri-" past, through the forbearance of fice for the sins of mankind. They" God. While we were yet sinners, all speak of his atonement, not as a "Christ died for us, much more sacrifice which he rendered for him-" then being now justified through self, but for the sins and transgres-" his blood, we shall be saved from sions of his people. They all repre-"wrath through him." To the besent him as being burthened with lievers at Corinth, who were justifiour iniquities, and having carried oured through faith in the Lord Jesus sorrows. They all agree in assert-Christ, and had experienced the ing, that he was delivered for our of sanctifying influence of his spirit, he fences; that he sustained the weight writes: "Ye are washed; ye are of our afflictions; that he suffered for sanctified and justified in the name our sins, and was punished for our of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit 66 1 of our God." To the Colossians, || the redemption of human transgres- who were converted from the idola-sors. High, he communicates the same comfortable instruction: "And you, saith he, that were some time alienated, and enemies in mind by your wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh, through death, to present you holy, unblameable and irreproachable in his sight." In his Epistle to the This is the testimony which the Hebrews, who were well acquainted word of God affords to establish the with the religious ordinances observ-doctrine for which I contend. And ed under the legal dispensation, he this testimony, which I have derivaffirms: "Christ is the Mediator of ed from the concurrent declarations the New Testament, that by means of the most distinguished inspired of his death for the redemption of the writers, is conclusive. The authotransgressors under the first Testa-rities I have quoted, are sufficient to ment, they which are called, might establish the fact, that Jesus Christ, receive the promise of an eternal inheritance." ritorious sufferings and death, did render an expiatory sacrifice, and that such a sacrifice was absolutely required, to absolve the offender from the punishment of his offences, to exhibit the divine righteousness, and vindicate the insulted honor of the Deity. by his innocent sufferings and death on the cross, did render an expiatory sacrifice for sin. They cannot be made to bear any other construction. They cannot be rendered susceptible of any other interpretation. They exhibit direct evidence. They afford positive proof. They are perfectly clear and explicit. They cannot be misunderstood. They cannot be reasonably contradicted. They must be satisfactory to every person that believes in the divine authority of the scriptures. It is evident from the Apostle's reasoning on this subject, that he viewed the death of Christ as a real sacrifice, which was necessary to atone for the transgressions which had been committed under the various dispensations of the church. He expresses his conviction, that it was necessary that Christ should be set forth as a propitiation to declare the righteousness of God in the remission of sin For according to his method of reasoning, we could not have been justified by his blood and say-adduced from the repeated declaraed from wrath, through him, unless he had died for us while we were yet sinners. He clearly conveys the idea, that aliens and enemies to God could not have been reconciled to him, and obtained the promise of an eternal inheritance, in any other way than by means of Christ's death for In addition to the evidence already tions of the holy scriptures, to prove. that Christ was delivered as a real sacrifice for our sins, I shall now proceed to show, that this doctrine is illustrated and confirmed by the undoubted testimony of sacred history. It appears to have been the chief design of the spirit of inspiration, from the earliest periods of sacred history,|| By the law, almost every thing was to prepare us for the exhibition of purged with blood. The altar and this mysterious sacrifice, which is so the tabernacle-the vessels of the difficult for us to comprehend. The sanctuary, and the garments of the most remarkable events which, un- officiating Priests, were all sprinkder the direction of Divine Provi- led with the blood of their sacrifidence, occurred in the former, ages ces. No acceptable service could of the church, all seem to relate to be rendered-no real sacrifice could the great work of human redemption. be presented, unless the hands of The holy scriptures, throughout, may the worshipper were sprinkled with be considered as one continued his- blood. Blood was exclusively aptory of the Lamb slain from the be-propriated to the divine service.---ginning of the world. The nature of For this reason the Jews were prothose sacrifices which were appoint- hibited its common use" for the ed under the law, and the manner in which they were usually rendered, are no doubt to be viewed as typical representations of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Under the Levitical institution, when the worship of God consisted chiefly in sacrifices, it was enjoined on "every man who should bring an offering, to put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, that it might be accepted for him, to make an atonement for his sin." On the great day of atonement, the high priest was required to lay his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat. The victim thus substituted to suffer the legal penalty, due to the offences of the people, was either burnt without the gate of the Tabernacle, or as in the case of the scape goat, was sent away into the wilderness, subject to the curse of a legal impurity. Almost every sacrifice for sin was attended with the effusion of blood. Without the shedding of blood, except in extraordinary cases, there could be no remission of sin. life of the flesh, saith God, is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your souls; for it is blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." The sacrifices for sin, which God himself had appointed under the law, and which his people were strictly commanded to observe, were all rendered by substituting the innocent for the punishment of the guilty. And this sacrificial substitution of innocent victims, to bear the iniquities, and atone for the transgressions of a wicked and rebellious people-this constant effusion of the blood of the sacrifices, to wash away the guilt of sin, which was enjoined under the law, must have been intended to exhibit that precious sacrifice which was rendered under the gospel.— These sacrifices under the law could not have been instituted with any other design than this. For it is unreasonable to suppose, that God could have been reconciled to the transgressors of his law, by the sacrifice of beasts, which were devoid of reason and understanding to enable them to distinguish between good and evil. He surely could have had no pleasure in the death of an innocent victim, For the Lutheran Magazine. who was cursed for the offences of the CORRESPONDENCE. Philadelphia, Jan. 4th, 1830. people. Neither could the true worMr. Editor-It is at all times pleashippers of God, who had been favored with so many divine revelations, prosperity of our Evangelical Zion, sing to contemplate the increasing have been so ignorant as to suppose, whether it relate to the church unithat the offering of beasts could in versal, or whether it be confined to itself prove a mean of conciliating the the formation and establishment of indivine favor. If they knew any thing, dividual congregations. The only they surely must have known, that circumstance which has hitherto preif he were hungry, he would not tell vented the Lutheran church in the them, because the world is his, and United States from exerting a more the fullness thereof-that he would extensive influence, has, undoubtednot eat the flesh nor drink the blood ly, existed among ourselves. Interof their sacrifices. Jesus Christ, there-nal jealousies and civil discord, have fore, is the true victim, prefigured by destroyed that unanimity of effort, the constant repetition of sacrifices which alone is necessary to make her under the Levitical institution. He as powerful in the number of her adherents, as she is attractive in the beauty and simplicity of her doctrines. I am proud of my church, and where is the Lutheran who is not? I glory in the Revolution which gave us our title; and the rapid dissemination of principles so consistent with the precepts of our blessed Redeemer, will always prove to me a source of the highest gratification. is that innocent and spotless Lamb, on whom the Lord laid the iniquities of us all; who was subjected to the curse and bore the punishment of our sins. He is the substituted victim, who suffered without the gate and was slain on the cross at Calvary, that his blood might be shed as an offering for sin. He is that atoning High Priest, who entered into the holy place, to offer an acceptable sacrifice. These reflections have arisen whilst for the transgressions of his people; viewing the present state of things and, having sprinkled us with his in Philadelphia. It is but a very few blood, washed us from our sins, clean- hours since my arrival, yet this has sed us from our iniquities; purchased not prevented me from making many eternal redemption for us. Thus you observations of an interesting characperceive that we have the voice of the ter. Having brought letters of introprophets and the apostles-the sanc-duction with me from New-York, to tions of the church under its various several clergymen in this city, I caldispensations the history of both the led immediately after leaving the Old and New Testament--the testi- boat, on the Rev. Dr. Schaeffer, by mony of the law and the gospel, to whom I was kindly received. This confirm us in the belief, that Jesus gentleman is well known to you as Christ, by his innocent sufferings and death on the cross, did render an expiatory sacrifice for sin. (To be continued.) M. one of the fathers of our church in America. His talents and learning are also, sufficiently celebrated. When announced, I was particularly Correspondence. struck with his venerable appearance,||cupied by the and more convenient bu consciously together, it reminded me of that union and fellowship, which will exist when time shall be no longer. It is whilst contemplating such scenes, that the soul is often lost in the most pleasing anticipations. The things of time and sense, vanish for a moment, from before us. The bright visions of futurity appear with their enchanting influence, and al The same evening, I went to the residence of the Rev. Mr. Krauth, whom I found in his study, preparing ion as respects some of the minor for the solemn duties of the Sanctu- truths of the gospel, which prevents ary. He appears to be what I ex- us from uniting more closely in this pected to find him, a good christian present world-and when I saw these -a zealous advocate for the princi- christians, after the service of the ples of our church-and a friend to sanctuary was ended, mingling unevery thing which will promote her interests. He is pastor of an interesting and flourishing congregation, lately established in this place, which has struggled against, and overcome numerous difficulties; and though they have received but little assistance from those to whom they should naturally look for encouragement, yet the abundant blessing of the Almighty, has, undoubtedly, accompanied most make us forget that we are mortheir praise-worthy exertions. I gladly accepted an invitation from this gentleman to officiate in his stead, on the approaching Sabbath, being very desirous of becoming better acquainted with the character and strength of his congregation, which I expected to find but limited in the number of lament that the dream of our happiits members, on account of its late or-ness did not last forever. But I wanganization. Our Reverend brother der. tal. Imagination soars from earth to heaven, and pictures to the mind a faint delineation of those glories which are inconceivable; while, no longer able to sustain the brilliancy of fancy's coloring, the splendid visions disappear, and we awake to called for me at my boarding-house On being introduced into a room in the morning, for the purpose of which would contain about five hunconducting me to their place of wor-dred persons, think of my astonishship. It is a spacious edifice belong- ment, when, instead of a few indiing to the University of Pennsylva-viduals scattered here and there, I nia, and as I have been informed, oc- found almost every seat occupied. |