A Treatise on Atonement

Rev. Hosea Ballou (1882)

A TREATISE ON ATONEMENT in which the finite nature of sin is argued, its cause and consequences as such; the necessity and nature of atonement; and ... of all men to holiness and happiness.

In this Treatise on Atonement, I shall confine myself to three general inquiries : I. Of Sin ; II. Of Atonement for Sin; III. Of the Consequences of Atonement to Mankind. These particulars may be represented by a disorder ; the remedy for the disorder, and the health enjoyed in consequence of a cure (Chapter 1).

A treatise on Atonement is a seminal universalist work that argues against inherited sin, the concept of the necessity of a penal atonement, while laying out a case for Christian Universalism. In 2005, Charles Howe wrote an excellent piece, "Manifestor," [External Link] for UUWorld, which in a concise way lays out the premise of Ballou's treatise. In the "Universalists" section I have posted a brief bio of Hosea Ballou.

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