An atonement had been made by the Divine One who had come among men; He had suffered for them, and by His suffering had redeemed them. In all the earliest Christian writings which we possess, this great truth is repeated again and again. With adoring gratitude the Christian Brotherhood loved and worshipped Him. Jesus Christ was the centre of all their hopes—the source of their strange, newly found happiness.[1]
Very briefly we will quote a very few of these important dogmatic sayings pressed home to the believers when they met together.
Clement of Rome—circa A.D. 95:
"Let us fix our eyes on the blood of Christ, and understand how precious it is unto His Father, because being shed for our salvation."—Ep. i. 7.
"Let us fear the Lord Jesus whose blood was given for us."—Ep. i. 11.
"Jesus Christ our Lord hath given His blood for us, by the will of God . . . His life for our lives."—Ep. i. 49.
Ignatius of Antioch—circa A.D. 107-10.
"It is evident to me that you are living not after men but after Jesus Christ who died for us, that believing on His death ye might escape death."—Ep. ad Trall. 2.
"Him (Jesus Christ) I seek, who died on our behalf; Him I desire, who rose again (for our sake)."—Ep. ad Rom. 6.
After relating the passion of the Cross, Ignatius went on to say: "For He suffered these things for our sakes (that we might be saved)."—Ep. ad Smyrn. 1, 2.
"Even the heavenly beings, and the glory of the angels, and the rulers visible and invisible, if they believe not in the blood of Christ (who is God), judgment awaiteth them also."—Ep. ad Smyrn. 6.
"Await Him . . . the Eternal, the Invisible, who became visible for our sakes; the Impalpable, the Impassible, who
- ↑ This is strikingly put by F. W. Myers in his poem "S. Paul":
"This hath he done and shall we not adore Him?
This shall He do and can we still despair?
Come let us quickly fling ourselves before Him,
Cast at His feet the burden of our care."
