A T O 



Pre-exident dignity ; and that, after having paHed tlirough 

 human hfe, enduring all its fonows, he dtlivercd himfcU up 

 to death, and thus acquired the power of delivering us from 

 death. By oiTeiing himfelf a facriiice on the crofs, he vin- 

 dicated the hono\ir of thofe laws which finners had broken, 

 and rendered the exercife of favour to them confiftent with 

 the holinefs and wilUom of God's ■jnvernmexit ; and by his 

 refurrtiSion from the dead, he proved the efficacy and ac- 

 ceptablenefs pf his facrifice. In a word, Chrift not only 

 declared, but ohlahii-d the availahlencfs of repentance to par- 

 don ; and became by his intcrpofition, not only the eonveyer, 

 but the author and the means of our future immortality ;" — 

 " in fuch a fenfe that vve owe them to him, as well as pri- 

 marily to God." This author has declined the ufe of the 

 terms ful/jlt/ufiomndjh.'is/iic/lon, becaufe they do not occur 

 in fcripture ; but others hav« alleged, that though the 

 literal 'expreflions do not occur, the plu-afeology of the fa- 

 crcd wiiters warrants the ufe of them. 



Among other writers who have totally rejected the doc- 

 trine of atonement according tp either of the explanations 

 above given of it, we may mention Dr. Prieftley, who 

 reckons it in the clafs of the corruptions of Chrillianlty. 

 See Hiftory of the Corruptions of Chriftianity, vol. ii. 

 p. 152, &c. In all the book,-! of fcripture, fays this writer, 

 ■we no where find the principle on which the doftrine of 

 atonement is founded, which is a difplay, on the part of 

 God, of juftice and of his abhorrence of jin, fo that God 

 could not pardon it without an adequate fatisfaiflioii being 

 made to his juftice, and the honour of his laws and govern- 

 ment. Admitting the popular doctrine of atonement, the 

 whole of the Old Teftamcnt, as he conceives, is a moft un- 

 accountable book, and the religion it exhibits is defeiStive 

 in the moft cfTential article. The Jews in our Saviour's 

 time, it is faid, had certainly no idea of this doctrine ; for 

 if they had, they would have expefted a f 'ffering, and not 

 a triumphant Mefliah. And it is alleged, that our Lord 

 and his apoftles are filent with regard to it. This author 

 undei takes to explain the fenfe in which Chrift is repre- 

 fented as a facrifice, and other figurative interpretations of 

 it, independently of this doctrine. He proceeds to exa- 

 mine the (cntiments of the Apoftolical fathers, and though 

 he allows that fingle expreflions occur in their writings 

 which feem to favour the doiSrine of atonement, yet the 

 general ftrain (hews, as he apprehends, that they had no 

 proper idea of it. It is alfo argued, that this doctrine is 

 iiot enumerated as an article of Chrillian faith in any ancient 

 fummary of Chriftian doftrine. To the too literal inter- 

 pretation of the figurative language of fcripture. Dr. Piitft- 

 ley afcribes that advance towards the doctnne of atonement, 

 which was obferved in the third and fourth centuries. Gro- 

 tius fhews (Opera, vol. iv. p. 347.) that this doftrine is 

 maintained by Theodorus Abucara, a Greek writer of the 

 ninth century ; but in the Latin church it does not fee.ii 

 to have been fixed in the eleventh century, although there 

 are obvious and indifputable references to it in the writings 

 of Anfelm, and alio in Theophilus, a Greek writer ci.:ed 

 by Grotius. Wickhffe evidently beheved the abfolute ire- 

 cefllty of the death of C'vrift in order to the forgivenefs of 

 fin, and after the reformation by Luther, the doftrine of 

 fatisfaftion, or atonement for fin was reduced to a regular 

 fyftem grounded on certain principles, and purfued to its 

 proper extent. It was unequivocally avowed in the coji- 

 feifion of faith prefented to Charles V. at Augfburg, in 

 1530; in the Helvetic confeffion of the vear 1536 ; and at 

 the fyr jd of Dort, in l6l8. It is no.v the doctrine of the 

 ellablifhed churches of England and Scotland ; and it is 

 very generally retaifled, at kaft in fome qualified fenfe, by 



A T O 



divines and others, both Trinitarian and Arian, Soclmis 

 difcarded it, and his followers have almoft univeifally ex- 

 ploded it. We obferve, that thougli the word ator.i meut 

 frequently occurs in the Old Teftament, we meet with it 

 but once in the New Teftament ; and in olhi r places the 

 fame original word, nxTo.'XT'Cc.yn, is rendered reconi ihation. 

 As for thofe who rejeft the generally received doftrine of 

 the atonement, they maintain, tlmt the great objeft of our 

 Lord's million was to teach the doftrine of a refurreftion to 

 a future immortal hfe, and that hence arufe the peculiar iic- 

 ccffity and utility of his own death and relurreC^ion as a 

 proof of his doftrine. See Expiation, Lustratio:*, 

 Propitiation, Sacrifice, and Satisfaction. 

 Atonement, Day of. See Fcq/l 0/ "Expi at los.' 

 ATONIA, KTcvi'z, in Rledkinf, a term which fignifics.a 

 want of tone, firmnefs, or ftrength, in the muicular fibre ; 

 in other \vords, a relaxation thereof; from a. privative and 

 T'lio), lendo, J Jlrctch, or extend. This condition takes place 

 cither partially or generally in moft forms of chronic dif- 

 eafes, and in the convaleicent period of acute difcafes. The 

 remedies are the Peruvian bark, bitters, chalybeates, the 

 fulphuric acid, cold bathing, country air, and exei"cife>. 

 with a mild and nohrifliing. diet. 



ATONICS, in Grammar, denote words unaccented. Sec 

 Acer, NT. 



ATOOI, orATTOwAi, in G^ofra/>/i_v, the moft northern 

 and the largeft of the weft group of the Sandwich Iflauds, 

 being about 300 miles in circumference ; containing, ac- 

 cording to the ftatement in the third volume of Cap'.ain 

 Cook's voyage, about 54,000 inhabitants. It has -a good 

 road and anchoring place on the fouth weft fide of the ifland, 

 called Wymoa. Il is obferved, in the account of Ponlock's 

 and Dixon's Voyage to the north-weft coaft of America, 

 that the eaft fide ol the ifland rifes gradually from the fea,. 

 till it tenniuates in high land, near the centre of the ifland. 

 The height of the moft elevated land or mountain, accord- 

 ing to Marchand (ubi inlra. p. 16.), is izi6 toifes. 

 The hills are clothed to the fuinmit with lofty trees, exhi- 

 biting a beautitul verdure. The land next the fliore on the 

 eaft fide is uncultivated and dtftitute of inhabitants; but to 

 the wcftward it is generally cultivated, and houles are fcat- 

 tered along the fliore. The doireftic animals on this ifland 

 are hogs, dogs, and fowls. Its principal vegetable produc- 

 tions are yams, fweet potatoes, the fugar cane, and a fweet 

 root called by the natives, tee. Seme trees were found, 

 about fifteen feet high, with fpreading branchci-, a fmooth 

 bark, and a nut refembling a wahr t ; others about nine 

 feet high, with bloflbms of a beautiful pink colour ; and a 

 variety with nuts, like our horfe chefuuts, which arcufeJ by 

 the natives as fubftitutes for candles, and give an excellent 

 light. The ifland affords a fupply of frefh water. In March- 

 and's Voyage (vol. ii. p. 80. ), we have an account of two 

 Englifti failors, who had been carried off" from an Englifh 

 brig by the natives of this ifland, and who confirmed the 

 report of captain Cook concerning the natives of tl;c Sand- 

 wich iflauds, that thefe iflanders are cannibals, and eat their 

 prifoners. The relation, however, is difputed ; and it is 

 fuggefted, that the natives of thefe ifland'; cut in pieces the 

 bodies of their dead enemies, burn their flefli, and preferve 

 their bones as trophies for perpetuating the memory of 

 their exploits. Thus, it is faid, they dealt with the body 

 of the unfortunate captain Cook. Li the voyage of Van- 

 cijuvcr, who vifited tliis ifland in 1792, we are informed, 

 that the proftitution of the women is here carried to the 

 moft wanton excefs. Vol.i. p. 171. N. lat. 22°. E. long. 

 200° 30'. See Sandwich //lands. 

 ATOTOTL; in Ornithology, a name under which Seba 



di^fcribee 



