and mercy cannot be exercised at the expense of justice. Jesus died that he might remove the obstructions arising from justice to the exercise of mercy. Pardon is bestowed in the manner best suited to melt the hardness, to conciliate the enmity, to excite the love, and to win the confidence of man. My Lord, the death of Christ is a mysterious and awful theme! It equally illustrates the compassion of God towards his sinning creatures and his displeasure at sin. The death of Christ is to be viewed in connexion with his person. The value of his death, as an atonement, is dependent on the quality of his person and the dignity of his character. Now, the question of his person is purely one of revelation. Since the Bible is the book of God's mind, and comprises all his discoveries concerning the person and mission of Christ, our business is strictly limited to its interpretation. Philosophy must give place to philology. What say the Scriptures? They declare as explicitly as language can affirm it, that Jesus Christ is a Divine Person. In the Old Testament, he is designated the Mighty Godthe Just God-the King-the Lord of Hosts.* The New Testament repeats the doctrine: it describes him as God-God over all-the true God-God manifest in the flesh. As far as language can affirm any thing, these Scriptures declare the Godhead of Christ. His humanity is declared with equal certainty. It is affirmed without a figure, that the "Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." He is designated Ema * Isa. ix. 6; vi. 5; xlv. 21, 22; xii. 2; liv. 5; Zech. ix. 9. † John i. 1-3; Rom. ix. 5; 1 John v. 20; 1 Tim. iii. 16; John xii. 41; Rom. xiv. 10, 11. nuel, "God with us.' The doctrine of his human and divine nature, is laid down absolutely in these passages; but the reason of the doctrine, the necessity of the fact alleged, is also most distinctly set forth. The Scriptures represent that the incarnation of the Godhead was indispensable to his mission, that the Divine character might be fully unfolded, and his sacrifice be of sufficient value to expiate sin. It is further intimated as a reason for this announcement, that Jesus could not otherwise have been qualified for the work of mediation, and the exercise of the government asigned him in the heavenly world. His participation of our nature was also necessary, for the following reasons: That he might stand in the relation of a brother to the human race; that he might undertake our cause as a Kinsman-Redeemer; that the law might be magnified and sin expiated in the same nature that sinned; and that he might be enabled, from the experience of human infirmity, to succour them that are tried.§ Did this person, the man Christ Jesus, die for man? Yes, he died! This, my Lord, this is the "Great Truth," which is going forth to all the ends of the earth: To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray * John i. 14; 1 Tim. ii. 5; Isa. vii. 14; Matt. i. 23; Rom. ix. 5. Heb. i. 3; 1 John i. 7. ‡ Zech. vi. 13; Heb. viii. 1; Eph. i. 20—23; Phil. ii. 9—11; Rev. v. 1-7. § Heb. ii. 14-18; Lev. xxv. 25, 47-49; Rom. viii. 3; Gal. iv. 4, 5; Heb. iv. 15; v. 1, 2. you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."* This is the language of the leader of the first band of Christian missionaries,-language which has been held by that honoured body of men from the days of Christ himself until now. The apostles went forth testifying repentance towards God, and faith in Jesus Christ. To the Jews they said, "Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets: Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you."+"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."+ My Lord, this is the "Great Truth" of the Christian mission. This truth, with its related truths, constitutes that which is designated the "Knowledge of God." This is what is termed the Gospel, the Gospel which Christ commanded his servants to "go into all the world and to preach to every creature." The belief of these truths is, the belief of the gospel-a subject with which lettered Infidelity has often made itself merry. It had often been prudent, however, to let reason at least precede ridicule. The banter of ignorance is but a pointless dart! Is there any thing ridiculous in repent * 2 Cor. v. 19. Acts xiii. 38-41. + John iii. 36. ance? What is it, my Lord? It consists in sincere, heartfelt sorrow for sin as committed against the God of love, truth, and holiness. Is it unmanly for a creature thus to humble himself before the Lord God Omnipotent? The true penitent, to the extent of his means, undoes whatever he hath sinfully done,-to God and man he makes all the reparation in his power. Is this dastardly or inconsistent with self-respect? Repentance then may perhaps be allowed to pass; shallow infidelity chiefly delights to sport itself with faith-the neverfailing subject of its poor contempt. What is faith, my Lord? You know many who represent it as a weak, a foolish, a blind persuasion! It is not denied that many professed Christians have both by word and writing given too much ground for such representation; a fact, however, but little known to infidelity, whose charge is mainly founded in presumption. But let us come to the word of God, and inquire into the apostles' view of faith. This is a point on which your lordship is highly capable of doing justice to them. What, then, is their view of it? They represent it, strictly considered, as "the belief of the truth" which God has revealed in the Scriptures concerning Jesus Christ.* They never speak of faith but in connexion with a testimony, a fact, something as its object. It is not a feeling, a fancy, an assumption, a persuasion; it is the belief of that which is equally true whether believed or not. That which is designated the "knowledge of God," the "gospel of Christ," is a series of facts exhibiting the character of God in relation to man, while there is ONE fact in which all the * 2 Thess. ii. 13. † Acts ii. 22, 24, 32—36. other facts meet as their centre, viz. the death of Christ, as an atonement for the sins of men, required by infinite holiness, and provided by infinite love.* The belief of these facts is the belief of the Gospel, the belief, faith, or credit, which justifies the sinner's person, and sanctifies the sinner's heart. According to the Scriptures, "the belief of the truth," and that alone, is the Christian faith. The simplicity of the Gospel as set forth in the Scriptures-let the metaphysical divines go -is its beauty, and its glory. The essential truths of the gospel are few, and often comprised in a single passage, which shows man's guilty and perishing condition-which exhibits the mercy of God in Christwhich unfolds the mediatorial character and work of the Saviour and which sets forth eternal life as the gift of God through him. My Lord, the gospel consists of facts, not reasonings ; and hence, in regard to its belief, intellects of every order are much upon a level; their reasons, their relations, their results, are another matter. There are not two kinds of instruction in the Bible; the facts are the same whether embraced by your lordship, or by a schoolboy lisping his first lesson. Divines have dis coursed of faith as divisible into several kinds-historical faith, the faith of miracles, temporary faith, and saving faith. This is not merely useless precision; it is mischievous, from its tendency to draw off the mind from the object-the thing to be believed; and to engage it in a fruitless examination of the mental operation of believing. The apostles made no such distinctions. * 1 Pet. i. 11. + John iii. 16; Acts x. 43. 2 Tim. i. 5; iii. 15; 1 Sam. ii. 26; xvi. 7, 12; 2 Chron. xxxiv. 1-3; 1 Kings xiv. 13. |