We are to examine, then, the doctrine of atonement, as taught by the Church of England; and in doing so we will endeavour to investigate the end, the plan, and some of the leading characteristics of the work. I. The _end_, or _purpose_; _i.e._, the object to attain which our Lord was made a propitiation. This object is stated in our Second Article to be, “to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original, but also for actual sins of men.” There is in every natural heart a deep sense of alienation from God an irresistible conviction that the soul is not safe with him. It pervades all classes and all characters. It is felt by the profligate, for however earnestly he may strive to stifle conscience, he cannot altogether still the conviction that the path he is treading is the way to hell. The moralist feels it, for with all his propriety of outward conduct, and with all the delusive self-satisfaction which he grains from comparing his character with that of others, there remains a still small voice, which assures him, in language not to be mistaken, that in God’s sight he is defective, that God’s will has not been obeyed, and that his law has been most sadly broken. The formalist feels it, for, while, in the earnestness of his religion, he pursues with unremitting zeal his appointed course of rites and services, there is still a want of peace in the inmost recesses of his soul; there is earnestness without love, zeal without joy, religion without peace, and active devotion without any rest in communion with God.