570 THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST: blood under the law or gospel there is no remission of sins, no- peace with God for sinners.. If you review all that Panlinus and Ferventio have said on this subject, and what has beencited from the late Doctor Evans, I think there cannot be much room to doubt whether the doctrine of Christ's atoning sacrifice be not an essential article in the christian covenant, so that our christi- anity is a very incomplete thing without it. Let me ask one question here : What would you have thought of a man who pretended to be a Jew in the land of Israel during that dispen- sation, and yet did neither believe not practise any thing relating to the sacrifices and offerings of atonement which were appointed by Moses, but renounced and neglected them all? Could you imagine this man was a sincere and complete Jew ? Orcould he be a heartybeliever and practiser of the religion of Moses ? How then can a man be called a complete christian, who renoun- ces the only sacrifice of atonement which belongs to the christian religion, and which is the only medium of our forgiveness of sins ? The man who denies and renounces this essential doctrine, though in common language he has the name of christian given him, the name being determined by the major part of his opi- trions, yet if names were to be applied by the rules of strict pro- portion and justice, I do not see how his character could arise higher than that of almost a christian. As these words were pronounced, Ferventio rose up, for he was grown big with an inference which hecould not suppress. Upon this foot, says he, Agrippa can scarce be half a christian, for his creed has dropped so many of these essentials of christia- nity, that I fear he is almost a cbristian. But pray, Charistes, goon to your third consideration. I obey, Sir, said Charistes, and pursued his discourse III. All the essentials of christianity canhardly be supposed necessary to be believed or acknowledged in order to the salva- tion of every man ; for Ferventio himself has confessed that his own charity might extend so far as to include a heathen within the reach of salvation, who should be religious and penitent, de- sirous to know and do the will of God, and to trust in his mercy so far as the light of nature can trace out his mercy and his will, provided that he never had opportunity or means to know Christ and his gospel, and consequentlyneither knows nor believes, any one of the peculiar essentials of christianity. It is hard to make incurable ignorance a ground of utter condemnation. And therefore it is certain, that when our Saviour commands his gos- * Essentials of christianity are either conìmon or peculiar. Common are those which it borrows from natural religion, such as the being of God, the necessity of holiness, repentance for sin, and hoping for mercy. The peculiar essentials of it are the atonement of Christ, his intercession; faith inhim, praying in his Same, baptism,. the Lerdis-supper, bfc.
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