THE THEME OF YEAR BOOK IV.
The doctrine of the Atonement through the expiatory suffering and death of Christ, can only be rightly understood when considered in its relationship to the Intelligences—i. e., men—that are affected by it. Hence this treatise opens with a consideration of Intelligences as related to the Atonement. Necessarily this will involve the restatement of some of the matter of the Seventy's Year Book No. II, dealing with the "Outline History of the Dispensations of the Gospel, Part I—, "Prelude to the Dispensations" where such subjects as "Intelligences and Spirits," "The Relationship of the Intelligences;" "The Purposes of God in Relation to Man;" "The Free Agency of Intelligences," and the like are discussed. But as the present use of the principles there set forth will be different from the former use of them, the repetition necessary to a clear understanding of the great theme to be developed may not be amiss, but, on the contrary, positively helpful to a fuller appreciation of the principles them selves, as well as a right appreciation of the bearing they have upon the subject of the Atonement.
The writer has approached his theme from a new standpoint. Instead of beginning with the work of the Christ when he appeared on earth as the son of Mary, he has begun with those eternal Intelligences that were to be affected by this earth-life, by the "fall" and the "Atonement," and by "Hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began." (Paul to Titus.) This is followed by consideration of the council in heaven, wherein the order of earth-life for the spirits of men is considered, what shall accrue to them from it; necessarily the fall and plan of man's redemption; the war in heaven, the advent of man on earth; the fall; revelation of the plan for man's salvation; the Atonement in ancient times, through all the ages in fact, and so finally to the consideration of the various elements that enter into the great theme, making up the philosophy of the Atonement.
As to the importance of the subject, need anything be said? It is the very heart of the Gospel from whose pulsations the streams of both spiritual and eternal physical life proceed. It is the fact which gives vitality to all things else in the Gospel. If the Atonement be not a reality then our preaching is vain; our baptisms and confirmations meaningless; the eucharist a mere mummery of words; our hope of eternal life without foundation; we are still in our sins, and we Christian men, of all men, are the most miserable. A theme that affects all this cannot fail of being important. And yet, how our writers upon theology have neglected this subject! Save for the treatise of the late President John Taylor on the "Mediation and Atonement of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," we have no work devoted wholly to the subject. President Taylor's treatise was published twenty-nine years ago (1882); there was but a very limited edition published at the time, and that is not yet sold out! Aside from this treatise—and even that is quite limited in its scope, chiefly a compilation of scripture texts upon the fact of the Atonement—our speakers and writers have treated the theme merely incidentally. It is time, then, that our Seventies—the special witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ, including as a central fact of their testimony the Atonement, should give special and extended study to this theme of themes.