The Catholic Doctrine of the Atonement

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1869. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... Persons of the Holy Trinity, which has sometimes been so strangely imported into the doctrine of the Atonement; as though the mind of the Father towards us were actually changed by the Sacrifice of Christ. I will give it in full, translating from the Greek; ""God, the Master and Maker of all things, who created all things and disposed them in order, was not only a Lover of man, but also long-suffering; and He, indeed, was always such, and will be, gracious and good, and without anger (oopy DEGREESTo?), and true; and He alone is good, and conceived the great and ineffable design which He communicated only to His Son." And again; " When our iniquity was full, and it was perfectly manifest that punishment and death were the expected recompense . . . He did not hate or repulse us, or think evil of us, but was long-suffering and bore with us, and took our sins upon Him (dveSe'ijaro); He Himself gave up His Son as a ransom for us, the Holy for the unholy, the Sinless for the sinful, the llighteous for the unrighteous, the Incorruptible for the corruptible, the Immortal for the mortal. For what else but His righteousness could cover our sins? by whom could we, the lawless and impious, be justified, but only by the Son of God ? 0 sweet change! 0 unsearchable work! 0 unexpected benefits! that the wickedness of many should be covered by one Righteous One, the righteousness of One justify many sinners!" I will merely observe, to preclude a possible misconception, that it would be to ignore the whole tenor of patristic theology, if we supposed the imputation theory was intended in the concluding words. It is clearly a real change in ourselves that is spoken of, from sin to holiness, through the imparted grace of Christ.1 St. Justin Martyr, the great Christian apologist of the sec...