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The atoning work of Christ viewed in relation to some current theories
The atoning work of Christ viewed in relation to some current theories Author:William Thomson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: In the nobler minds of paganism the warm sympathy was often kindled, that made them anxious to free their brothers from sin and sorrow, peril and death. Many end... more »eavoured to realise this great aspiration even by laying down life itself. In almost all countries, mediation by prayer and sacrif1ce has been the heart of religion. The revolting practice of human sacrifice appears to be very ancient and very widely spread. In most religious systems, the essential part of the sacrifice was the life, and the blood as the seat of life. And lastly, the act of sacrifice was intended verily to put the victim in the place of the worshipper, and verily to remove his sins and reconcile the god he worshipped to his erring servant. The deductions from these facts may be postponed ; and a few words may conclude the present Lecture. He that walks through the vast Pantheon of heathen worship, with its strange altars and fantastic rites, will behold on every side the smoke of sacrifices and the steam of blood rising up, and the horrors of voluntary self-torture often added by the worshipper to attest the truth of his prayer to God for pardon. And did we say that a feeling of pity should arise at this spectacle ? Pitymay become the man who has found real peace in God, when he looks around on those who seek and find it not. Pity may suit him who has offered his whole being a sacrifice to the common Father of himself and his suffering Redeemer, and is crucifying and slaying all low wicked habits, all lust and indolence, all pride and vanity, scorn and ill-temper, because they suit not the companions of Jesus. He can truly feel for the needs of the people that walk in darkness and see not the great light: what was wanting to Eastern asceticism, and Grecian culture, and Alexandrian theosophy, and the sac...« less