The Life of Harlan Page. By William A. Hallock [pp. 233-243]

The Place of the Laity.
an atonement for similar reasons with those which are alleged by the abettors of this scheme. Accordingly, John
Taylor of Norwich, has written a book against the orthodox,
doctrine, and yet he retains the word, and says, "Our Lord's
death took its value not from pain or suffering, imputation
or punishment, but from obedience and goodness, or the
most complete character of all virtue and righteousness, the
noblest of all principles and the highest perfection of intellectual nature." On account of this exhibition of moral excellence, he thinks that God is pleased to pardon the sinner
upon his repentance. And Dr. Sykes who rejects all the
orthodox views on this subject, yet maintains what he calls
the doctrine of atonement which is simply, that Christ died
to convince men that God was not angry with them but
really loved them. If the new theory may properly be
called an atonement, why may not the schemes of Taylor and
Sykes?
All that we plead for is that what is plainly expressed or
clearly implied in hundreds of texts of scripture, be admitted
to be a doctrine of divine revelation. As this is the grand
peculiarity of the Christian system we are bound to guard it
from perversion, and to maintain this cardinal truth in unadulterated purity. This is our apology for occupying so
many pages with our own views of the necessity and nature
of the atonement.
ART. IV.-The Life of Harlan Page. By William A.
Hallock. New York, 1835.
There seems to be no greater impediment to the triumph
of religion than the looseness of the array of the forces to
whom the Lord of Hosts has committed the warfare. Not
to speak of their divisions into parties, with but little of the
union which is the bond both of charity and strength, there
is a lamentable deficiency in that part of the tactics which
allots to each individual his place and function, and makes at
least each corps completely marshalled in itself for the holy
war.
To escape from our metaphor, not only is the Christian
cause weakened by the various divisions of the Church labouring independently and alone, for the diffusion of the
1836.]
233