THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE OF ATONEMENT. 



61 



the New Begetting is, and what it is not. That the Gospel gives a 

 desire and a power to fight habits and restrain impulses is true ; 

 but many devout Christians have found long established evil habits 

 very hard indeed to cast off. This teaching seems to me to tend 

 towards "sinless perfection." The Apostle Paul does not seem to 

 have been freed from the impulses of sin ; nor Peter, when Paul 

 withstood him to the face at Antioch. Such teaching would tend, 

 in m}^ judgment, to cause arrogance in the strong, and undue 

 depression in the weak. 



The key to the Atonement, or rather to its need, seems to me to be 

 found in Jeremiah xviii, re the potter's house ; first creation a 

 failure, the heavens included ; the second a success. For us men, a 

 new and Divine Spirit of Life to take, in the Eesurrection, the place 

 of the old spirit of life (dropped at death) ; a spirit which, though a 

 separate creation, we hold in common with the lower animate — and 

 perhaps inanimate — creation. For evidence of this, see in a 

 Concordance the various uses of the words ' N-slulmdli ' and ' liadch ' 

 in the Old Testament. This seems to me to be Bible teaching for 

 Christians. 



I close with repeating my thanks to Mr. Marston with whom I 

 doubtless agree much more than I disagree. 



Mr. Edward J. G. Titterington, M.A. : Mr. Marston remarks 

 (page 50) that a preponderant measure of the strength of the Church 

 must be ascribed to the faithfulness with which the doctrine of the 

 precious blood of Christ has been maintained. It would have been 

 interesting if we could have heard a testimony from some present, 

 whether, in their wide experience, as well as in history. Christian 

 work is not fruitful, and honoured of God, largely in proportion as 

 the doctrine is faithfully proclaimed. This, in fact, is the true 

 answer to one speaker, who asked whether, if it were presented to 

 us for the first time when we had arrived at years of maturity, we 

 should not have rejected it as preposterous. " For the preaching of 

 the Cross is to them that are perishing (Grk.) foolishness ; but unto 

 us which are being saved it is the power of God." 



One was glad to hear the emphasis placed during the discussion 

 upon what may be termed the wider aspects of the reconciliation 

 effected in Christ Jesus — both as regards His own glory, and as 

 regards the creation as a whole. These are aspects which receive 

 comparatively little attention, but are none the less of first 



