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“TO THE MW AND TO THE TESTIMONI.”
8011,^1. 0., December 15, 1874.
liole No. 171
Sion’s Landmarks.
P. D. GOLD, Editor.
rUBLJSHED SEMI-MOTTHLT
—( at )—
^ILSON, JISaJ^LINA.
fllPWIHhl lAUaOXJ
DECEMBER 15tii, 1874.
ie^^Clubs Ox eiglt .siibt^cribors, or a larger
number can ave the Landmarks at $150
eachj and the clubs need net be at the same
Post Office or even in the same State, and
persons renewing can make clubs in same
M-ay.
^^ur bretlu'cn and friends are all authorized
^ as Agents in obtaining subscribers.—
^ names need not be published in the
of Agents. IVe hope they will generally
\n eflbrt to extend the circulation of the
MARKS.
ley can be sent by expres.s or oth-
Jit iny expense. In sums of a few dol-
jm ue sent at my ilsk by ordinary let-
fn money is not receipted please
Vm me.
CONVENIENT ALWAYS SEND
UEAS OR Money Oedisks at
I'rvEFJCKED.^^
reason please direct letters to
^IcL Wilso7i. N. C.
wuich are in Christ Jesus • ^‘yeare not
under the law but under grace, or
liberty of the gospel.” Plebrews'
7: 22. By so much was Jesus made
surety of a better testament. This
word testament has in scripture sense
the same meaning as the word cove
nant, hence the Old Testament is
called the first covenant or first Tes
tament ;and the New Testament, the
new coveuaut, that God would make
in those days with the^house of Israel,
or a better covenant established upon
better promises. The old one or first
one has vanished away, to give place
to the new one, the gospel dispensa
tion with all its blessings and not
conditions but absolute promises, yea
and Amen to the glory of God by us.
And this word surety in the text seems
to me in its original meaning to sig
nify to help the necessities, or draw
near to help, and in the text Christ is
said to be surety ofa better testament
or covenant, which in scripture use
is the same jneaning. Then Christ
atiuritv as we in
Atojiement,—■which I
continue through the
fvol. 7, No 14. June 1st,
I’eread your pardon, your
God, your satisfaction, for
lir reconciliation, your atoce-
the full; for the blood of
yhrist, bis Son, cleanseth from
In. We have redemption through
blood, tlie forgivness of sins;
^ley have washed their robes and
''■made them white in the blood of the
lamb ! He made peace through the
blood of his cross, and by this blood
you that were afar off are made nigh
to God. Here in this and by this
man Jesus Christ we have received
the atonement, all for the love he
bore his helpless bride; he paid
her debts, as says Paul; who loved
me and gave himself for me ; where
then is the injustice to punish Christ
for the sins of his bride, or to accept
the hand of Christ an atonement
fcsin instead ot sinners. Since in
eye of the law and Justice, if the
jand pays the debt contracted by
jlRe wife it is just as good, as lawful
and as just as if the wife had paid it
out of her own pocket, and she is
ju.st as clear in the eye of the law,
and equally freed from further de
mand, So then if the Son shall
make you free, you shall |be free in
deed. The son of man has by this
means power on earth to forgive sins,
there is no condemnatiisa to them
_ transaction of
surety take^Iace by Christ? Now
a creditor may refuse payment at the
hands of the security ; so might God
at the hands of his Son, and still the
debtor be bound. Then Christ could
not pay the debt of Abel unless he
had been surety before the time. So
it would seem that he was, or did be
come surety before the world began,
or w^as as a lamb slain from the foun
dation of the "world, or he was set up
from everlasting, or ever the cartli
was, or how are their names written in
the lamb’s book of life from the foun
dation of the w'orld, or how grace
given us in him before the world be
gan, or how chosen in him before the
world was founded, or how verily fore
ordained before the foundation of the
world, but to be made manifest in
these last times ? Then from all these
evidences and many more that could
be adduced -we are plainly shown the
testamental covenant was made before
the world began and that in that bar
gain or agreement Christ did then
and there agree to become surety in
the covenant that is said to be be
tween them both; surety for his
people, surety for all the Father was
pleased to give him, in order that
they might not be lost, but raised
up at the last day ; that he
might give them eternal life, to give
them grace and glory. Now to re
turn to the agreement, it cannot be
unjust to compeha man that is secu
rity for another to pay the debt, if
the debtor tails through ; because the
act of securityship is voluntary, and
it was on the basis of the security that
the debt was contracted, the bargain
made, and the right of projierty
changed ; so equally there could be
no injustice in God the Father in re
ceiving or compelling his Son to die
for the sins of sinner.s. Nor is there
any injustice in a creditor receiving
his money from the hands of the se
curity instead of the debtor; since
both are equally bound. So there
can be no injusticez.n God the Father
receiving satisfaction, or atonement
for our sins at the hands of Christ,
who was surety for us, instead of us
sinners, the debtors. And as soon as
the bargain was made and suretyship
latified, tlie right of the bargained
property changed on condition of pay
ment ; but as soon as Jesus paid the
bond and took in the right, the
property was confirmed.
Now see how plainly God the Fath
er acknowledges this transfer of sin
ners to his Son. Hear, ^Tf thy chil-
dr^ransgress my law; not my chi.l-
people sliad be willing in the day of
thy power. Again, I will contend
with him that couteudeth with thee,
and will save thy children.” Here
in those three scriptures and many
more, God the Father, whose riglit
man w'as by creation acknowledges
the right of Christ to the property,
or to sinners, or to his Church ; which
right of Christ is the right of surety
ship, having paid the debt and taken
in the bond.
Now then the Son of man lias power
on earth to forgive sins, and this
power arises from his suretyship, for
you know where security pays a debt
and takes in the bond from the cred
itor, he has all in his own power, and
may forgive the debtor, or give the
debtor his bond, then all is settled.
Then look to Jesus the surety of the
elect, ^Tor as much as you have got
nothing to pay with beg his forgiveness
of the whole debt; he has in these
times forgiven thousands and mil
lions.” Yea forgiven them the whole
•debt. Then law, justice, creditor,
security and debtor are satisfied^;
so equally God the Father the
creditor, Christ the surety, the sinner
the debtor, law and justice, the
Saviour’s blood the price satisfies all.
When the Holy Spirit puts the evi
dence of pardon in the sinner’s heart,
all are satisfied through this sufficient
and great atonement made by Christ,
and no injury arises nor injustice
done any where; Either to God the
Father, Christ, Law, Justice, or the
sinner, all are satisfied and harmonize,
and a sinner saved in the Lord with
an everlasting salvation. And that
by this atonement of Jesus Christ
Law is honored, and Justice satisfied
as muen and as well as if the sinner
had made tlie atonement himself, and
no injustice done any where bv the
gospel plan. Now if there be one
sinner for whom Christ did not be
come surety it would not be justice to
compel him to make an atonement
for the man, bocanso he had not vol
untarily consented to be the man’s
surety, or signed the bond, it would
be forgery to put his name tlicre
without consent, and in the presence
ofa witness, which witness is the
Holy Ghost. Then according to the
doctrine ofa General, or a Universal
atonement, Christ must be surety fin-
ail sinners from the beginning to tlie
end of the world ; then if so lie made-
an atonement for all mankind when
he died, for it was Ins suretyship that
bound him ; then it follows ofcour.se
that wdien he died on the Cross, he
paid all men’c Jobf;-,, .1 n,(,k • , ipe
iioJn.is of all siuncr.s, aiTi (now noixI.s
them in his own hands good ao-ain.-^r
all sinners, and has it in his own
power to give up V/iliiam his bond
but to sue James for the payment of
his, and cast him in prison until he
makes payment. Now I don’t see
that this part of the atonement or
payment of James’debt by tlie securi
ty answers any purpose at all: if the
security will forgive James his debt,,
why pay it; for James might as well
suffer tlie law and be cast into prison
by the first creditor as the security
since he is as unable to pay the debt
as the other. I therefore cannot ,stT-
why or wherefore Christ should be
surety or die for the sins of one man
he did not intend to forgive or save
finally, foi it seems to me to be wrong
for him to die for sinners, and that
sinners liave not received the benefits
of his death, since the grand design
of his death was to make an atone
ment for sinners, and was as sufficient
for the one a.s the other. Tlien you
must in the next place take this
ground, that lie made an atonement
for all mankind, but tliat atonement
was conditional, or on the proviso
they would repent, or apply to him
for their pardon, or believe on Iiim
and thereby receive their pardon.
Then this makes the atonement Uni
versal and conditional both, for if the
atonement is Universal then all debts
are paid, or all the sins that ever
were or will be committed were atoned
for at Christ’s death; becau.se he bon;
them in his own body on the tree.
Now tell me if this he the truth, liow