RATIONALITY OF THE ATONEMENT.

(Millennial Star, Vol. 6, p. 134.)

A pamphlet has lately made its appearance in Glasgow, published by a member of our Church holding the office of priest, containing 28 pages, headed "A Treatise on the Atonement, Proving the Necessity of Christ's Death for Man's Redemption Neither Scriptural nor Reasonable. By T. S. Barr."

We are sorry to be under the necessity of occupying our time and pages in noticing a pamphlet bearing such an introduction, as the production of a member of the Church of Christ. We are sorry that any man, bearing any portion of the authority of the holy priesthood, should have his mind so much overcome by the powers of darkness, as to stray so widely from the order and counsel of the Kingdom of God. It is not pleasing to present, for the investigation of the public, a heresy so much opposed to the revelations of God and to every principle of holiness.

Our object in the present article will not be so much to refute the heretical doctrine advanced, as to introduce a portion of the testimony in favor of the principle of redemption through the blood of Christ, with which the revelations of God so much abound, in order that our views on the subject may be rightly understood by all, and that the Saints of God may be prepared to withstand the assaults of the grand enemy of man's salvation, and to set the matter forever at rest in the minds of those who believe in the revelations of God.

We had fully expected that our repeated cautions against individuals publishing things without our sanction would be sufficient and save us the trouble of repeating the warning. The neglect of the author to observe this counsel causes him to forfeit his authority and standing in the Church of God, until, at least, he has repented of his error.

In our perusal of the pamphlet, we endeavored to find out the object of the author, and the only reasonable conclusion we could arrive at was, that it was a strained attempt on his part to display some talent and learning. He is ambitious to make quotations from history, heathen mythology, and from the Hebrew language. But it would be far better for a man to be entirely divested of talents, than to use them in endeavoring to prove the inefficiency of the atonement of Christ, and striking at the fundamental principle of salvation, as he has done.

The author introduces himself to his readers by lamenting because of having "to labor under great disadvantages while propounding what he conscientiously believes to be a correct solution of this very important subject, as the views which he holds are diametrically opposed to those entertained by Christians of almost all denominations; at least (he says) since the foundation of the Romish Church until now, the belief has been tenaciously adhered to amongst professors of religion, that Jesus Christ came into the world to suffer an ignominious death for, or instead of, Adam and his posterity."

We would remark that he would have labored under equal disadvantages, as far as professors of the religion of heaven were concerned, had he lived contemporary with the Messiah Himself and His apostles, or at any period, however remote, subsequent to that time; and that this doctrine was not one of the many false fabrications or dogmas of men introduced to make void the designs of God, or lead the minds of the people away "after seducing fables and doctrines of devils;" but that it was not only a theme on which the ancient prophets and servants of God delighted to dwell, but the mainspring of all their hopes, and the source from which they drew strength and support, when called to pass through trials of an overwhelming nature; to substantiate which we will make a few quotations from Scripture.

The Apostle Paul, after treating at some length on the faith with which the ancient worthies were endowed, speaks of Moses refusing the honors which Pharaoh's daughter sought to confer upon him, and "esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward"—Hebrews xi: 26. And after enumerating the sufferings of others, he informs us that their reason for not accepting deliverance was, "that they might obtain a better resurrection" (Hebrews xi: 35), which could only be brought to pass through the redemption wrought out by the Son of God, as we shall be able fully to prove.

The same apostle, in writing to the Galatians, endeavors to impress this doctrine upon their minds, by proving that the law given through Moses was introduced because of transgressions, and was inadequate to accomplish their salvation, but merely served as a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ, and that it could not disannul the covenant that was made before of God in Christ (Galatians iii: 17); thereby proving that Abraham and his successors were conversant with the gospel of Christ and the doctrine of redemption through Him. And Job, while suffering under extreme agony, seems to have been supported by this hope, when he exclaims, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand in the latter day upon the earth" (Job. xix: 25). It is also evident that the faith of which they were in possession was efficacious, for we are informed by Matthew xxvii: 52, that many of the Saints which slept arose with Christ at His resurrection, who must of a necessity have been some of the prophets and saints who had lived prior to His coming. Moreover, we would remark that unless this doctrine had been believed in by the ancients, they were without the means of obtaining salvation; for Peter says (Acts iv: 12), "there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we can be saved." In fine, the continuation of sacrifices from the days of Abel to John was typical of the great and last sacrifice offered up in the person of Jesus Christ.

After this introduction, the author labors to show the absurdity and unrighteousness of the doctrine that the Almighty should require "the very heart's blood of His own well-beloved Son Christ Jesus, to satiate His thirst for vengeance." As far as we or our principles are concerned, he might have saved himself this trouble, as we do not believe that such was the object of God in the sacrifice of His Son. The Scriptures are too explicit on this point to be misunderstood. We are informed by the Savior Himself, what object His Father had in view in His coming into the world. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life; for God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through Him might be saved." (John iii: 16-17.) The revelations that God has given to man abundantly prove that God and the eternal worlds are governed by a celestial law; and in order that man might enjoy the same glory with Himself, it was requisite that he should keep the same law, "that which is governed by law is also preserved by law, and perfected and sanctified by the same," etc., etc. (Doctrine and Covenants, Section 7, Par. 8); but man, having transgressed the law of God, justly entailed upon himself the curse of this disobedience, from which he was incapable of redeeming himself, neither could any less than infinite sacrifice atone for his fall. The effect of his disobedience, it is well known, was death, and this curse has been hereditary to all the posterity of Adam. Let it be borne in mind that man, while submitting to this punishment, does so without any inherent power, independently in himself to accomplish his resurrection and restoration to the presence of God and His glory. He is now under the jurisdiction and within the dominion of death, and to achieve a victory over death it was necessary that some one more holy and pure than the being who had become the transgressor should enter into his dominion, in order that he might thereby have that dominion destroyed; and unless this be done, the control which death will hold over mankind must be eternal. It will require little argument to prove that the Son of God was, in every way, competent to perform this task, being pure, holy, and unspotted; and that he was the individual appointed to accomplish this, is fully substantiated by the testimony of John concerning him, "Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world" (John i: 29), that "as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (I Corinthians xv: 22.)

The next step taken by the author is to prove that it was unnecessary for Jesus Christ to shed His blood, or that He came into the world at all to atone for the transgression of Adam. To use his own language—"Now, seeing that death, misery, pain, and privations have been the legacy handed down in the human family from generation to generation, I for my own part, could not see any justice on the part of Deity did He demand a victim in our stead. Can any person, possessed of his reason, after recounting the sufferings that Adam and his children have undergone because of his and their own sin, avoid coming to the conclusion that man has indeed suffered for himself." And then, after endeavoring to prove that because death has followed all men, the atonement of Christ was incompetent, and did not accomplish the end for which it was intended, he sums up by stating that the mission of Messiah was, merely to be a Savior of men by becoming a preacher of righteousness, and that He fell a martyr to the truth only, as did the prophets who were slain previous to His coming. With all his learning and self-sufficiency to attain to what he calls "correct views of real heavenly theology," he has proven himself, through taking the foregoing stand, either entirely ignorant of the Scriptures, or wilfully unacquainted with them, as the following quotations will fully prove. "For this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Mat. xxvi: 28). "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain" (Acts ii: 23). "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He has purchased with His own blood" (Acts xx: 28). "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forebearance of God" (Romans iii: 24-5). "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians i: 7). "For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell: and having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself: by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" (Colossians i: 19, 20). "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear without sin unto salvation" (Hebrews ix: 28). "Then, said I, lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God; by the which will we are sanctified to the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all" (Hebrews x: 7-10). "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without a blemish and without a spot. Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you; who by him do believe in God that raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God" (I Peter i: 18-21). "And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I John ii). "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood" (Rev. i: 5).

Having made the foregoing quotations from the New Testament, we shall next introduce a few, on the same subject from the Book of Mormon (first European edition).

"And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world. Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and fallen state, and ever would be, save they should rely on the Redeemer" (Page 19).

"And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that He was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record. And I, Nephi, saw that He was lifted up upon the cross, and slain for the sins of the world" (Page 23).

"And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time that He may redeem the children of men from the fall. And, because that they are redeemed from the fall, they have become free forever" (Page 66).

"Behold, my beloved brethren, I speak unto you these things, that ye may rejoice and lift up your heads forever, because of the blessings which the Lord God shall bestow upon your children. For I know that ye have searched much, many of you, to know of things to come; wherefore, I know that ye know that our flesh must waste away and die: nevertheless, in our bodies, we shall see God. Yea, I know that ye know, that in the body He shall show Himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the great Creator that He suffered Himself to become subject unto men, in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto Him. For as death has passed upon all men, to fulfill the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto men, by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord; wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement; save, it should be an infinite atonement, this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And, if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot, and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more. O, the wisdom of God! His mercy and grace! For, behold, if the flesh should rise no more, our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more. And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devil's angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself: yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents; who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder, and all manner of secret works of darkness. O, how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth the way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit. And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its death: which death is the grave. And this death, of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell: wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men shall be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel. O, how great the plan of our God! For, on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the bodies of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us, in the flesh; save, it be that our knowledge shall be perfect; wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our gilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness being clothed with purity, yea, even with a robe of righteousness" (Pages 80-81).

"For, behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, that the Lord God worketh not in darkness. He doeth not anything, save it be for the benefit of the world; for He loveth the world, even that He layeth down His own life, that He may draw all men unto Him" (Page 112).

"For, behold, and also His blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died, not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned" (Page 169).

"For, behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins, and, moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given, nor any other way, nor means, whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ the Lord Omnipotent. For, behold, He judgeth, and His judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in His infancy; but now men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come in and through the atoning blood of Christ the Lord Omnipotent" (Page 170).

"For, were it not for the redemption which He hath made for His people, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, I say unto you, were it not for this, all mankind must have perished. But, behold, the bands of death shall be broken, and the Son reigneth and hath power over the death; therefore, He bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead" (Page 198).

"Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power and the sufferings and the death of Christ, and His resurrection and ascension into heaven" (Page 202). "And He will take upon Him death, that He may loose the bands of death which bind His people" (Page 256).

"Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death, and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death" (Page 270). "Now, Aaron began to open the scriptures unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and that there could be no redemption for mankind, save it were through the death and sufferings of Christ, and the atonement of His blood" (Page 303).

"Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon Him the transgressions of His people, and that He shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God has spoken it; for it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the eternal God, there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be though the atonement which it is expedient should be made; for it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beasts, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be infinite and eternal sacrifice. Now, there is not any man that can sacrifice His own blood which will atone for the sins of another. Now, if a man murdereth, behold, will our law, which is just, take the life of his brother? I say unto you, nay. But the law requires the life of him who hath murdered; therefore, there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement, which will suffice for the sins of the world; therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then, shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be fulfilled every jot and title, and none shall have passed away. And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law; every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice shall be the Son of God; yea, infinite and eternal; and thus He shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on His name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance" (Pages 341-2).

"Now the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God, and thus we see that all mankind were fallen, and they were in the grasp of justice; yea, the justice of God, which consigns them forever to be cut off from His presence. And now, the plan of mercy cannot be brought about, except an atonement should be made, therefore, God Himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also. Now, repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment which also was eternal, as the life of the soul should be affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which was as eternal also as the life of the soul. Now, how could a man repent except he should sin? How could he sin if there was no law, how could there be a law except there were punishment?" (Pages 362-3).

"And it came to pass that He stretched forth His hand and spake unto the people, saying: Behold, I am Jesus Christ, of whom the prophets testified shall come into the world, and behold I am the light and the life of the world, and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning" (Page 513). "And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross, and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross I might draw all men unto me" (Page 547). "And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord, yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before His bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death" (Page 578). "Behold, I am He who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people" (Page 587). "And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not His power, then ye are sanctified in Christ, by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father, unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy without spot" (Page 634).

To conclude our evidence on this subject, we shall make a few quotations from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants.

"I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me, as I am in the Father, and the Father is one in me, that we may be one" (Sec. xi: Par. 1).

"And verily, I say even as many as have believed on my name, for I am Christ, and in my own name by the virtue of the blood which I have spilt have I pleaded before the Father for them" (Sec. xii, Par. 1).

"Listen to Him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before Him, saying, Father, behold the sufferings and death of Him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed—the blood of Him whom Thou gavest that Thyself might be glorified" (Sec. xi, Par. 1).

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; for behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh wherefore He suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him." (Sec. xliii, Par. 3), "For, behold, I God, have suffered these things for all that they might not suffer if they would repent, but if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I, which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit, and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink—nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men." (Sec. xliii; Par. 2).

It is written, "that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." As we have quoted from many witnesses out of three records, we trust it will have a tendency to enlighten, not only the mind of the author of the pamphlet, but all those who doubt the doctrine of atonement through the blood of Christ. It will have been fully established beyond all controversy, from the flood of testimony, which we have brought from the revelations of God, given in various dispensations and ages of the world, and in different parts of the globe, that the object of Christ's mission to the earth was to offer Himself as a sacrifice to redeem mankind from eternal death, and that it was perfectly in accordance with the will of the Father that such a sacrifice should be made. He acted strictly in obedience to His Father's will in all things from the beginning, and drank of the bitter cup given Him. Herein is brought to light, glory, honor, immortality, and eternal life, with that charity which is greater than faith or hope, for the Lamb of God, has thereby performed that for man which he could not accomplish for Himself. As justice in the first place has had its claim, and the words of God have been verified—"In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die"—so, on the other hand mercy has been extended, and the love of God manifested in breaking the bands of death, whereby the spirits and bodies of men are re-united, the spirits of the just received in exaltation in the presence of God and the Lamb—in the same tabernacles in which they toiled, labored, and suffered while on earth, without which union it is impossible for the souls of men to receive the fulness of glory. There is a glory connected with this that will be an eternal source of joy to every citizen of the celestial kingdom. The spirits, on the other hand, of those who reject the gospel of Christ and slight His proffered mercies, must return to their bodies in the last resurrection to receive a fulness of their punishment in the same tabernacles in which they dwelt while warring against God. We would hereby warn all men who may hear the sound of the words to repent of their sins and obey the gospel of the Son of God, that they may escape the punishment of those "who have trodden under foot the Son of God, and have counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith they were sanctified, an unholy thing, and have done despite unto the spirit of grace" (Heb. x: 29), and that they may have a part in the first resurrection, and have their names "written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. xiii: 8), and be prepared to join in chanting the new song, saying, "Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood, out of every kindred and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth" (Rev. v:9, 10).

We will now close with the words of Jacob, from the Book of Mormon, page 147: "Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets? and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning Him; and deny the good word of Christ and the Power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption which has been laid for you? Know ye not that if ye will do these things, that the power of the redemption and the resurrection which is in Christ will bring you to stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God."

WILFORD WOODRUFF,

President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the British Isles.