matter of perfect indifference whether men lived piously or wickedly,--if it had been consistent with the nature and attributes of God, to make no discrimination between the evil and the good, -if, without a contradiction to his own perfection, he could have passed over all sin and disobedience, and have taken no account of it, then we might say, although it is true that God might, in the exercise of his arbitrary will, justly punish and destroy mankind for their wickedness, yet it is no proof of any superior love that he spares them; for it is as easy for him to forgive as to punish-and I am very much afraid that this is the common mode of reasoning among impenitent men. They think that their sins are of no great moment in the sight of God, that nothing is easier than for him to pardon them; perhaps even, since he is so " gracious and merciful, and slow to anger," that the difficulty with him, (if I may so speak,) would all be on the other side, so as to make him reluctant to condemn them.

This is the vague notion concerning God's mercy, which so prevails among those who can find' no other way of pretending to that mercy. But, in the first place, you must reject the scriptures to entertain this notion; because (whether it be easy for God to forgive or not) they declare most plainly how he intends to proceed--and that

is not by pardoning indiscriminately all who have offended, but only certain persons, whom he has described by character,--and by punishing all who live and die in cherished unrepented sin. In the second place, what right has any man to say that it is as easy for God to forgive as to condemn ? Where has he learnt that doctrine? What ground has he for it ?—I know the ready answer;" with God all things are possible;" "whatever he willeth that doeth he in heaven and in earth;" and nothing can be more certain than God's almightiness. He can do every thing which is in its nature possible, the doing of which does not imply a contradiction. He made the world by the word of his power, he can as easily destroy it; he can at once direct the whole and every part of creation; he can read the secrets of all hearts; he can raise up all the dead from their graves hereafter, and pass a just judgment upon every individual of all the millions that ever lived; he can stretch forth his hand to any and all of the great globes that roll through the heavens, and make them stop in their courses, or move at his pleasure. Yet, notwithstanding his undoubted omnipotence, it is most probable that he cannot exercise that sort of undistinguishing mercy on which so many found their hopes of safety. Perhaps it would be a contradiction to

his nature; perhaps the notion implies imperfection, and God being perfect, cannot render himself imperfect.

The scripture says,-"God cannot lie;" "He abideth faithful, he cannot deny himself." This is no impeachment of his unlimited power; it is only saying he cannot be an imperfect being. Let me ask now, can God be unjust? Can he be unwise? Can he be cruel? Can he be defective in any way, subject to any evil passion or infirmity? You answer, No: without a moment's hesitation. Then I ask, can God have that quality which we consider to be a weakness even in man; that sort of yielding leniency, of passive indulgence, which if it were admitted into the administration of human law, would suffer every crime to go unpunished, and so spread vice and disorder to a frightful extent throughout society? We surely cannot believe that it is pos

sible for God to be of such a nature as this. We must think (ignorant as we are of his real essence) that there is such a harmony between his attributes, as to prevent one from contradicting, or interfering with, another. We cannot suppose that in him justice and holiness do not exist; and therefore we must of necessity conclude that it is an erroneous opinion, which represents God as almost indifferent to sin, and universally

forgiving, even when there is no ground for forgiveness.

But it seems, by what

This then brings me back to the point from which I started upon this argument. I said that the most astonishing circumstance remained to be mentioned, that the half of God's goodness had not yet been told. If it were such a trifling matter, as some would fain persuade themselves, for God to forgive sin, his doing so would be no great instance of love. has been already said, and it is made quite evident by the extraordinary method he adopted, that the forgiveness of sin was (may I so express myself?) a difficult work for God to undertake; that for him to overlook and disregard it, to suffer it to go unpunished, implied such a contradiction to his nature, that on that account he could not do it; it was as impossible as that he should be unholy. It is upon this view of the case therefore, that the mercy of God opens before us in all its glory; it would otherwise have seemed a small thing that he should pardon mankind, and receive them into his favour. But "God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." "In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him; herein is love, not that

we loved God, but that he loved us, and gave his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Here is the proof of God's mercy; here is the fact, which gives us the full assurance of his kindness towards us; here is the real foundation of those " good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people."

As I observed in my former discourse, our blessed Saviour in all probability did not preach this doctrine to the congregation in the synagogue of Nazareth; because we find, throughout the gospel, that it is but very rarely and obscurely that he alludes to it. His own apostles would not have understood him, if he had declared it. When informed that he was to be put to death, it staggered and confounded them, for they had still some carnal notions about the glory of the Messiah's kingdom. Certainly Christ might have made them understand every thing relating to his sacrifice and mode of redemption at once, if he had been so pleased; but he chose rather to open their minds gradually, to clear away their errors and prejudices by little and little. They were to see him die, before they were to be made acquainted with the purpose of it. The scriptures that spoke of his sufferings and humiliation, were to be fulfilled, before it was given to them to understand the accomplishment of them; but at last all their ignorance on this subject was