THE ATONING WORK OF CHRIST, VIEWED IN RELATION TO SOME CURRENT THEORIES, IN EIGHT SERMONS, PREACHED BEFORE THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, IN THE YEAR MDCCCLIII. AT THE LECTURE FOUNDED BY THE LATE REV. JOHN BAMPTON, M.A. CANON OF SALISBURY. BY WILLIAM THOMSON, M. A. FELLOW AND TUTOR OF QUEEN'S COLLEGE. OXFORD: PRINTED BY J. WRIGHT, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY, FOR LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN AND LONGMANS, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON. M.DCCC.LIII. EXTRACT FROM THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF THE REV. JOHN BAMPTON, CANON OF SALISBURY. "I give and bequeath my Lands and Estates to "the Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University "of Oxford for ever, to have and to hold all and sin 66 gular the said Lands or Estates upon trust, and to the "intents and purposes hereinafter mentioned; that is to 66 66 say, I will and appoint that the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford for the time being shall take and "receive all the rents, issues, and profits thereof, and "(after all taxes, reparations, and necessary deductions "made) that he pay all the remainder to the endowment "of eight Divinity Lecture Sermons, to be established for ever in the said University, and to be performed in the "manner following: 66 66 "I direct and appoint, that, upon the first Tuesday in "Easter Term, a Lecturer be yearly chosen by the Heads "of Colleges only, and by no others, in the room adjoining to the Printing-House, between the hours of ten "in the morning and two in the afternoon, to preach eight Divinity Lecture Sermons, the year following, at "St. Mary's in Oxford, between the commencement of the 66 iv EXTRACT FROM CANON BAMPTON'S WILL. "last month in Lent Term, and the end of the third week "in Act Term. 66 66 "Also I direct and appoint, that the eight Divinity "Lecture Sermons shall be preached upon either of the "following Subjects-to confirm and establish the Christian Faith, and to confute all heretics and schismatics -upon the divine authority of the holy Scriptures— upon the authority of the writings of the primitive Fa❝thers, as to the faith and practice of the primitive Church -upon the Divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus "Christ-upon the Divinity of the Holy Ghost-upon the "Articles of the Christian Faith, as comprehended in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. 66 66 66 "Also I direct, that thirty copies of the eight Divinity "Lecture Sermons shall be always printed, within two "months after they are preached, and one copy shall be given to the Chancellor of the University, and one copy "to the Head of every College, and one copy to the Mayor "of the city of Oxford, and one copy to be put into the "Bodleian Library; and the expense of printing them shall "be paid out of the revenue of the Land or Estates given "for establishing the Divinity Lecture Sermons; and the "Preacher shall not be paid, nor be entitled to the revenue, “before they are printed. "Also I direct and appoint, that no person shall be "qualified to preach the Divinity Lecture Sermons, un"less he hath taken the degree of Master of Arts at least, "in one of the two Universities of Oxford or Cambridge; “and that the same person shall never preach the Divinity "Lecture Sermons twice." SUMMARY. LECTURE I. THE NEED OF MEDIATION. ROMANS V. 8. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Statement of the subject. page 1. Three ideas that belong to the doctrine of Atonement. 4. I. The idea of God. a. Ontological grounds for this. 4. B. Cosmological grounds. 8. y. Physico-theological grounds. 9. d. Practical grounds. 11. Estimate of these. 12. II. The idea of sin. a. Sin viewed as a privation. 16. B. Sin viewed as selfishness. 18. γ. Sin viewed as disobedience. 20. III. The idea of reconcilement. 22. Practical aspect of these ideas. 24. .... LECTURE II. HEATHEN VIEWS OF MEDIATION. I KINGS Xviii. 27. Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. Hope of reconciliation, the key to pagan religions. 29. Sacrifices. 32. I. of men voluntarily for their fellow |