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SEAM.
XXXV.]
THE ATONEMENT
OF
CHRIST.
33
all
men
unto
me
:
This
he said, signifying
what death he
should die." His being
lifted up on
the
cross
should
draw
many souls to
him as
their
way
to the favour
of
God.
Once he spoke
it
in a little plainer
language,
in
public;
John
x. 11.
where he
represents
himself
as
the
"
good Shepherd,
who lays
down
his life
for
his
sheep."
3.
He
taught
the
same
doctrine both
in
types
or em-
blems,
and
in
plain language,
just
before he died,
at
the
institution of
the
holy
supper
;
Luke
xxii.
19.
"
He
took bread
and
brake
it,
saying,
This
is
my
body which
is
given
for you." And
of
the cup
he
said, ".This
cup
is
the
New Testament
in my blood which
is
shed
for
you
;"
or
as
St.
Matthew
expresses
it,
"
This
is
my
blood
of
the
New
Testament
which
is
shed for
many,
for
the
remission
of
sins."
These
things
put
together, make
it
evident
that
Christ himself taught
this
doctrine.
Objection.
But
it
will
be said,
How
can
we
suppose
that
this
doctrine
of
atonement
by
the
death,
of
Christ,
should
be so
considerable a
part of
the
gospel,
if
our
blessed
Redeemer, the
great
Prophet
of
his
church,
spoke
so
seldom
of it
in
public, and
that
in
so
obscure
a
manner
?
Answer
1.
This doctrine
of
atonement for
sin by his
death,
and
the acceptance
of
it
with
God
the
Father,
could
not
be
so well
preached
in
public till
he died,
and
rose again for
his
death
was
the
foundation
of
this
a-
tonement;
his
resurrection
and
his
ascension
to
heaven
were
the
proofs
of
its being
accepted
of
God. Now
it
was divinely
wise
and
proper
for
our Lord not
to
preach
such
doctrines too
freely in public
to
the
multitude,
till
these events should
appear
in the world.
If
he
had
spoken
all
these
things
concerning
himself,
it
would have
probably
amazed
and confounded the common
people,
and raised their
rage
or
their ridicule
;
so
ignorant
and
so full
of
prejudice
as
they were
in
that
day.
Answer
.2.
If
Christ had publicly and plainly
preach-
ed up the
atonement of
his
death,
he
must thereby have
foretold
openly
that
he
must
die as
a,
sacrifice; and
this
might have had
very
ill effects
on the .malicious.
Jews,
either,
1.
To
provoke them to
kill him
before
his
hour
was come,
and pretend
that
they only obeyed
his
own
prophecy and
commission when they
put
him to
death
:
Or,.
.
They might
lay .hold
on
him,
and
,keep
him.pri-
c