consisted not in its own intrinsic worth as conformity to the will of God, and thus as being in itself eternal life to the soul, but merely in its proving the existence of faith and gratitude. We are exhorted "to love the Lord our God with all our heart;" upon the ground, that if we do not, we want an important evidence of the reality of our faith. Is this a worthy argument for urging men to the exercise of that high and holy privilege, that blessed commandment, on which "hang all the law, all the prophets," may we not add, all the gospel? Must not there be a radical error in that system which reduces many a faithful servant of God to such an argument?

The whole use of the gospel is to introduce the holy love of God into man's heart, that it may work there its own likeness. But the gospel cannot enter the heart without being believed, and here is the whole use of faith. The duty of the creature to love the Creator, and the other creatures of that Creator for His sake, ought to be pressed as flowing necessarily from our relation to Him and His goodness to us, as constituting the height of moral and spiritual perfection, as being the very substance out of which all true blessedness is composed.

The end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned. Surely then it is more befitting that faith should be pressed and prized as producing holy love in the heart and life, than that love should be pressed as an evidence of faith.

There is a third reason which seems to me to recommend this view of pardon. When pardon is sought as an end, rather than as means to an end, it gives a contracted and mercenary tone to the mind. We We are delivered from this mercenary feeling when we discern pardon to be not the end, but a means to the end, which is holiness. Forgiving love is the manna rained down from heaven on all our habitations; it is the daily bread on which the soul must feed, to strengthen itself for the daily work. When we receive it as such, then our natural language is "What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord." While we look on pardon as the ultimate object in religion, and not as a grace already bestowed, it is impossible that we can thus feed on it; yet unless we do so we can neither have peace nor strength.

CHAPTER IV.

Consideration of some passages of Scripture referring to the subject.

-God the

ciled.

BUT, it may be asked, are there not many 2 Cor. v. 19. passages in the Scriptures which seem de- reconciler, cidedly to teach that forgiveness is bestowed not the reonly on those who believe in Jesus Christ? Let us examine some of these. Before doing so, however, let us consider attentively the general declaration contained in 2 Cor. v. 19, 20, 21: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing unto them their trespasses." I ought to observe that here, as indeed always in Scripture, God is spoken of as "reconciling"-never as "being reconciled." To reconcile is the act of an injured party who forgives; to be reconciled is the condition of one who has committed an offence, and has obtained forgiveness.1

1 Thus our Lord says (Matt. v. 23, 24)," If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest

In this passage God is represented as declaring a purpose of forgiveness to every individual in the world-as breathing out forgiveness to all (not imputing to men their trespasses)-in order that the world might be reconciled to Himself.

Immediately after the fall, He had made known His purpose of restoring the lost race through the instrumentality of the woman's seed. In the fulness of time the Deliverer came forth, and was declared to be no less than the only begotten of the Father, the manifestation and expression of His nature,-full of grace and truth. Christ is thus not only the proof and pledge of Divine love, but is also the appropriate organ through which that love may be dispensed to sinners. God manifested in Christ, therefore, is God revealed as the holy and gracious forgiver of sins. This is His attitude. All who see Him in this attitude must believe in His forgiving love.

But sin hides the forgiving character of God from us; the accusations of conscience

that thy brother hath ought against thee (hath ground of complaint against thee), leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother (obtain his forgiveness), and then come and offer thy gift."

raise a cloud between God and the sinner. The forgiving love of God being manifested in the life and death of Christ, declares itself to be a consuming fire to evil, and thus no heart which does not sympathize with the threatened destruction of evil, can possibly embrace cordially, or enjoy fully, the forgiveness of the gospel. So long, therefore, as a man chooses to keep his sin, so long he refuses to allow the forgiving love of God to enter his heart. In such circumstances, although God remains the same, although He is still, as Luther calls Him, "the merciful forgiver of the sins of all men,"—yet the man can have no real peace, no true sense of forgiving love; and if he continues in this state through eternity, he must through eternity be a child of wrath, abiding in outer darkness. Therefore, when the light of God's reconciling countenance is first perceived shining through these veils and clouds and obstacles, although the forgiving love has been always the same, yet the man may be said to be then first pardoned, because he then first admits or accepts the pardon. When one man loves another, that other is loved, whether he accepts the love bestowed on him or not. In like manner,