I spoke of the satisfaction of Christ.  He said his notion was, that it did not atone for the sins of the world; but, by satisfying divine justice, by shewing that no less than the Son of God suffered for sin, it shewed to men and innumerable created beings, the heinousness of it, and therefore rendered it unnecessary for divine vengeance to be exercised against sinners, as it otherwise must have been; that in this way it might operate even in favour of those who had never heard of it:  as to those who did hear of it, the effect it should produce would be repentance and piety, by impressing upon the mind a just notion of sin:  that original sin was the propensity to evil, which no doubt was occasioned by the fall.  He presented this solemn subject in a new light to me[274], and rendered much more rational and clear the doctrine of what our Saviour has done for us;—­as it removed the notion of imputed righteousness in co-operating; whereas by this view, Christ has done all already that he had to do, or is ever to do for mankind, by making his great satisfaction; the consequences of which will affect each individual according to the particular conduct of each.  I would illustrate this by saying, that Christ’s satisfaction resembles a sun placed to shew light to men, so that it depends upon themselves whether they will walk the right way or not, which they could not have done without that sun, ‘the sun of righteousness[275]’ There is, however, more in it than merely giving light—­a light to lighten the Gentiles[276]:  for we are told, there is healing under his wings[277].  Dr. Johnson said to me, ’Richard Baxter commends a treatise by Grotius, De Satisfactione Christi.  I have never read it:  but I intend to read it; and you may read it.’  I remarked, upon the principle now laid down, we might explain the difficult and seemingly hard text, ’They that believe shall be saved; and they that believe not shall be damned[278]:’  They that believe shall have such an impression made upon their minds, as will make them act so that they may be accepted by GOD.

We talked of one of our friends[279] taking ill, for a length of time, a hasty expression of Dr. Johnson’s to him, on his attempting to prosecute a subject that had a reference to religion, beyond the bounds within which the Doctor thought such topicks should be confined in a mixed company.  JOHNSON.  ’What is to become of society, if a friendship of twenty years is to be broken off for such a cause?’ As Bacon says,

     ’Who then to frail mortality shall trust,
      But limns the water, or but writes in dust[280].’

I said, he should write expressly in support of Christianity; for that, although a reverence for it shines through his works in several places, that is not enough.  ’You know, (said I,) what Grotius has done, and what Addison has done[281].—­You should do also.’  He replied, ’I hope I shall.’

MONDAY, AUGUST 23.