eneth." "If ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." "For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God." "The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace," &c. "According to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."

5. Pardon and salvation are ascribed to the sinner's own agency, in hearing, and obeying the truth,-repenting, or turning from sin to God,—to his faith, or believing,— walking uprightly,-doing justly,-performing acts of beneficence,-confessing his sins,-forgiving the offences of others, trusting in God,-hoping in divine mercy, and enduring to the end. Numerous texts might here be quoted to show that pardon and salvation are as really ascribed to the agency of the penitent sinner, as to the sufferings of Christ, or the agency of God. Every thing which has been named from the originating source the love of God-down to the humble exertions of the believer in Jesus, may be regarded as a pre-requisite to pardon and salvation, but no one of these things as a substitute for punishment. Indeed, the idea of forgiveness seems to me incompatible with that of substituted punishment; and implies that there had been no such substitute. For if the penalty of sin has been endured by a substitute, what remains to be remitted or forgiven?

When we have derived nourishment, strength, and pleasure from eating bread, to what a variety of causes or means may these benefits be ascribed! The goodness of God, the toil of the farmer, the quality of the seed, the fertility of the earth, the influences of the sun and the rain, the exertions and means for reducing the wheat to flour, and for converting the flour into bread; all these

He

demand grateful notice, and to each, in its proper place, may be ascribed the benefits we derived from the bread. But after the bread was prepared and set before us, had we refused to eat, or had we been unable to eat, the benefits would not have been realized. Hence, to our eating the bread, may also be ascribed the several benefits which we received. But the goodness of God is observable throughout the whole series. He gave to the husbandman all his disposition, power, and skill to labor. furnished the seed with its vegetative and reproductive qualities. The fertility of the earth was the effect of his wisdom, power, and kindness. He gave to the sun and the rain all their friendly influences. He superintended the various exertions for securing the crop, and for changing the wheat into bread. Nor is this all. He gave us the strength, the health, and the appetite to eat; and after all, his agency and kindness rendered the bread pleasant and useful to us. of life, and our deriving great variety of causes and means we may ascribe these benefits; of each we may say, Had it not been for this, we should have failed, and perished in our sins. Still in no one of them can I discern a substitute for punishment, but in each I can see the love and mercy of the Lord.

It is so in regard to the bread from it saving benefits. To a

We may, indeed, truly say, that, had it not been for the love of Christ in sacrificing his life for us, we should have failed of salvation. So we may say, Had it not been that "God so loved the world" as to send his Son on the errand of our redemption, there would have been no salvation for us. The saints in heaven may also say, Had we not repented of our sins, we should have perished. If then we may regard the love of Christ, or the sufferings

of Christ, as a substitute for punishment, why may we not also regard the love of God in sending the Son, and the repentance of the sinner, in the light of substitutes for the penalty due to our offences?

It may be worthy of notice, that to no less than nine distinct things, is justification ascribed in the Bible.

1. The grace of God:-" justified freely by his grace." Rom. iii. 24.

2. The righteousness of Christ :-"By the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men to justification of life." Rom. v. 18.

3. The blood of Christ :-"being justified by his blood." Rom. v. 9.

4. The resurrection of Christ :- "who was raised again for our justification." Rom. iv. 25.

5. The Spirit of God :— -"justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the spirit of our God." 1 Cor.

vi. 11.

6. Faith:-" a man is justified by faith." Rom. iii. 28. 7. Obedience or works :- "Ye see how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." Jam. ii. 24. "The doers of the law shall be justified." Rom. ii. 13.

8. Words:" For by thy words thou shalt be justified." Matth. xii. 37.

9. By the knowledge of Christ :-"By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many." Isa. liii. 11.

The grace of God is the originating cause of the whole. The other seven are pre-requisite means of divine appointment. It, probably, has not been duly considered, to what a variety of causes or means the pardon and salvation of sinners are ascribed in the Scriptures; and as the cru-. cifixion of Christ was an event in which his love and the

love of God were in the strongest manner displayed, and are accordingly much celebrated in the New Testament; these facts may have contributed to the formation and support of the opinion, that the sufferings of Christ were a substitute for the sufferings due to sinners.

Though the sufferings of Christ were of an importance far transcending those of any of his Apostles or followers; yet others have suffered in the same cause for which our Lord laid down his life. How many and great were the sufferings of Paul, while engaged in promoting the cause of human salvation! It must have been natural for his converts to speak in strong language of his labors and sufferings; and many of them, probably, Inight ascribe their recovery from a state of paganism and sin, to the labors and sufferings of this Apostle. Besides, how many thousands of every generation, and in various countries, if they could trace the chain of causes and effects, might find the exertions and sufferings of this one Apostle, among the pre-requisites of their own pardon and salvation! But though millions may have thus had occasion to ascribe their recovery from sin, to the labors and sufferings of Paul, no one could properly regard what he did or suffered as a substitute for his punishment. What he did and suffered may indeed have been the occasion or means of preventing the future punishment of many, but not a substitute for that evil to any one.

When we assign to the sufferings of Christ their proper place among the pre-requisites to our salvation, there is little danger of estimating their value too high; but when we regard them as a substitute for punishment, what do we less than to make them also a substitute for the mercy of God, and the repentance of the sinner? I am far from

imputing to the advocates of vicarious suffering, any disposition to rob God of his glory; but it appears to me, that their theory must greatly eclipse that glory even in respect to their own minds. Who has eyes sufficiently penetrating to look through such "blackness of darkness," as is implied in vicarious punishment, and clearly discern, behind this cloud, the love of a heavenly Father!

66

CHAPTER XXI.

The Doctrine and Duty of Forgiveness.

Forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin,” is an important trait of Jehovah's character, as he revealed it to Moses, when he caused his glory to pass before this favored prophet. But the duty of men in respect to forgiving one another, was much less clearly taught by Moses, than it was by the Messiah. In the New Testament, the forgiving love of God is made an example for our initation ; and our compliance with this duty is made a condition of our obtaining forgiveness. Thus our Savior taught his disciples to pray,-" Our Father-forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." At the close of the form of prayer, Christ enforced the duty of forgiveness, by the most solemn considerations :-" For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive your trespasses. But if ye forgive not men