"THE ATONEMENT."

Evening Star, Issue 7480, 26 March 1888, Page 2

"THE ATONEMENT."

Last evening, at the Garrison Hall, Mr Aldridge lectured to a very largo audience on " The Atonement." He began by answering several questions which had been sent to him on the question of conscious existence after death. Mr Aldridge said ho proposed to draw the attention of his audience to the Atonement in the light of the grand truth of man's mortality. This was the only way to understand how Christ's death could make " two one, who aforetime were twain," You heard what was termed the Atonement preached in every pulpit in the land, by the cultured and the uncultured ; but no reasonable person could ever understand the orthodox Atonement or scheme of redemption. The orthodox Atonement was the greatest anomaly of the age. To demonstrate this, Mr Aldridge said that the one who was to make the atonement for sin must undergo the full punishment which was laid down for sin. Under the principal orthodox creed of to-day, the punishment for sin was threefold—first, the death of the body ; second, the spiritual death, or a state of complete alienation from God ; third, eternal death, which meant a state of existence iu torment for ever. Did Christ suffer either the second or third state of death ? Even orthodoxy itself replied No; and so Mr Aldridge submitted that, if the orthodox punishment of sin was true, there was no atonement for anyone. Mr Aldridge referred to the genealogies of the Bible to prove that Christ was the second Adam, descended in direct line from the first Adam. He also showed how, as in the first Adam all men died, so all men may be made alive in Christ. This grand atonement was made for everyone; and if the conditions of faith and obedience to Christ were accepted, then the grand gift of eternal life was made to all who accepted them. Mr Aldridge concluded an address of over an hour's length with an eloquent appeal to all who wished to come under the atonement of Christ to start at once and c'ose with the conditions. On Tuesday and Wednesday nights he will lecture in the Choral Hall.