Page:Tracts for the Times Vol 3.djvu/175

Rh doctrine of the Atonement, which he would exalt, indeed, into the substance of the Gospel, but in his account of which, as well as of the other Mysteries of revelation, he will, I fear, be found wanting.

Here is the same, (what I must call,) presumptuous assumption,—

Now let us observe, he is going to show how the understanding of the Church Catholic has misapprehended the doctrine.

The author here alludes to the Catholic teaching in the words "systems of man;" indeed it has been fashionable of late so to speak of it; but let me ask, which teaching has the more of system in it, that which regards the doctrines of revelation as isolated truths, so far as they are not connected in Scripture itself, or that which pares away part, and forcibly deals with the rest, till they are all brought down to an end cognizable by the human mind? It must be observed that the author expressly sanctions the formation of a system, which Catholic believers do not. He proceeds,

"The common-sense system of a religion consists in two connexions,—first the connexion between the doctrines and the character of God which they exhibit; and secondly, the connexion between these same doctrines and the character which they are intended to impress on the mind of man. When, therefore, we are considering a religious doctrine, our questions ought to be, first, What view does this doctrine give of the character of God in relation to sinners? And secondly. What influence is the belief of it calculated to exercise on the character of man? .... The first of these questions leads us to consider the Atonement as an act necessarily resulting from, and simply developing princi-