there is of power in the prolonged exhibition of a love which passes knowledge, is to be found there. Whatever tliere is of power in the truths which Christ taught, and which He sealed with his blood, ti-uths either before entirely unknown, or only imperfectly apprehended, belongs of course to the doctrine which the Church universal has ever held. And whatever there is of reality in the doctrine of our mystical union, and of our participation of the na- ture of Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, belongs to the Scriptural doctrine, without the blurring and enfeebling effects of modern speculation. While, therefoi-e, we should lose everything in renouncing the doctrine of expiation through the sacrificial death of Christ, we should gain nothing, by adopting these modern theories.
" If a man," says Delitzsch, " keeps in view our desert of pun- ishment, and allows the three saving doctrines of Scripture to stand in their integrity, namely, (1.) That God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, i. e., imputed our sins to Him. (2.) That Christ, although free from guilt, laden with our guilt, was made a curse for us, i. e., suffered the wrath of God due to us ; or, as the Scripture also sa3^s, that God executed on his Son judgment against sin. He having taken upon Him flesh and blood and offered Him- self as a sacrifice for us for the expiation of sin. (3.) That in like manner his righteousness is imputed to believers, so that we may stand before God, as He had submitted to the imputation of our sins in order to their expiation ; if these premises remain unoblit- erated, then it is as clear as the sun that Christ suffered and died as our substitute, in order that we need not suffer what we de- served, and in order that we instead of dying should be partakers of the life secured by his vicarious death." ^
1 Commenlar zum Briefe an die Hebrder, p. 728. " Behalt man die Verdammnisswiirdig- keit unserer Schuld recht im Auge und liisst man ohne Deiiteln die drei grossen von der Schrift bezeugten Heihwahrheiten stehen: 1. dass Gott den der von keiner Siinde wiisste fiir uns zur Siinde geniaciit d. i ihm unsere Siinden impiuirt hat; 2. dass Cliristus der Sciiuldlose, aber mit unserer Schuld Beladene fur uns ein I'"luch geworden d. i. den Blita des Zorns, der uns treffen sollte, fiir uns erlitten, oder, wie die Schrift auch sagt, dass Gott an seinem Sohne, der un^er Fleisch und Blut angenommen und sich uns zum Siindopfer, zur .■iundensiihiie begeben, das Gericht iiber die Siinde voUzogen; 3. dass uns nun im Ghiuben seme Gerechtigkeif ebenso zugerechnet wird, um vor Gott bestehen zu kijnnen, wie er sich hat unsere Siinden zurechnen lassen, um sie zu biissen — : so ist es auch, so lange diose Vordersatze ungeschmalert bleiben, sonnenklar, das er stellvei-tretendfur uns gelitten and gestorben, daniit wir nicht leiden miissten, was wir verwirkt, und damit wir statt zu ster-if-u in seinem durch stellvertretenden Tod hindurch gewonnen Leben das Leben hatten."