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this Rock, otherwise they are not good works. It is not as if CHRIST was the end only (as they who disparage Baptism would imply); not as if the Atonement were a thing to be arrived at last; but CHRIST is the Way also, the Beginning and the End, the Author and the Finisher, the Alpha and Omega. It is through the blood of CHRIST alone we are able to think or do what is good. It is through His blood alone that such thoughts and deeds are accepted. It is not simply that by bearing our cross we are brought to His; but we are in Him, and He in us; our cross is His Cross, and His Cross is our cross. When we humble our. selves, we partake of the virtue going forth from His humiliation : it is He that is drawing us nearer to Himself. When we pray, it is not our prayer, but His HOLY SPIRIT within us that leads us unto Himself. When we do works of charity, it is to Him in His brethren it is His compassionate bowels yearning in us towards them it is the virtue of His ineffable charity through us, His members, again flowing forth to all mankind. To check, therefore, such works by any mis-statements, by half admonitions and half encouragements, is to keep men from Him. It is like stopping the mouths of the blind men, who have no way to approach Him but by prayer, that He may open their eyes; for unless we practise these works of obedience and repentance, we shall assuredly have no eyes to see Him; for it is "the commandment of the LORD" which giveth light unto the eyes." It is putting away the little children, the babes in CHRIST, because they are not of full stature. It is casting stumbling-blocks in the way of weak men. It is very true, that in the Gospels, the consolations of CHRIST may be more imparted to persons who were opprobriously designated "sinners ;" and some of whom may have fallen into grievous sin; that "the publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom before the Pharisees:" but why? not because they were worse, but because they were far better than the Pharisees; as the poor and despised are perhaps generally found wiser and better than those in higher station.

6. All Scripture is in perfect harmony as opposed to this modern system.

We must again return to, and repeat the same point. Good works must ever make a good man; and a good man will most of all love God, as manifested in JESUS CHRIST; and therefore it is that Holy Scripture has put the case in every variety of ways, in order that, comparing the manifold expressions by which it describes the inscrutable mysteries of CHRIST's kingdom, we may arrive at some sense of the truth. And in whatever way we consider it, we shall find that the whole harmony of Scriptural teaching is opposed to the present system, or what is sometimes designated the Gospel scheme; the former being, in contrast to it, one of Reserve. We have shown, from obvious moral inference, that to ameliorate the heart and practice is the only way to arrive at those riches which are hid in CHRIST. Surely a little reflection will show how thoroughly Holy Scripture supports this opinion throughout. Let us only look to the manner in which the commandments are spoken of, and that not merely in the New Testament, but in the Old also. Could words be applied to them such as we find throughout the Psalms, as, for instance, in the 19th and 119th, unless they had some mysterious connexion with the Cross of CHRIST? How else could they be "sweeter than honey and the honeycomb ?" How else could they be "dearer than thousands of gold and silver?" How else could they be "wonderful," and "quickening," "giving light unto the eyes," and "everlasting righteousness?" Let us again consider the expressions by which the Gospel privileges are spoken of in Scripture, and we shall find that they are all connected with certain dispositions and graces, and confined to them. Those dispositions and graces can alone be attained by a certain mode of life and course of actions; which actions, therefore, Scripture commands and inculcates in every way, by bringing before us every example, and precept, and doctrine, that may be calculated to affect us with the terrors of God's judgments, or the hopes of His mercy.

Let us consider who they are whom Scripture pronounces as blessed. It might be supposed from the modern system, that the expression had been, "Blessed are all ye that hear the Gospel," and that this Gospel is confined to a full declaration of the gracious doctrine of the Atonement; but it is not thus it speaks. It is, indeed, said to some, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see, and blessed are the ears which hear the things that ye hear,"--but then it must be ever remembered, and again repeated, that this was not said unto all the people to whom our LORD had been preaching; but to the disciples "privately," in express distinction from those who had heard our LORD teaching, but who, as He said, had no "eyes to see, nor ears to hear." Whereas in His more public teaching, His blessing was entirely confined and limited to certain dispositions, which are recorded in the Sermon on the Mount.

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Blessing again is pronounced privately on St. Peter, because he had been brought to that high knowledge of CHRIST by GOD Himself as in the case of all the disciples, our LORD thanked GOD for having "revealed these things unto babes." And after these declarations to St. Peter, pronouncing His blessedness, and the greatness of that belief on which the Church would be built; we naturally expect our LORD to invite others to it, either by openly declaring that doctrine, or by showing them the way to arrive at it; we watch His words with expectation, especially when He calls all the multitude unto Him: but, so far from declaring unto them these gracious and high things, He speaks of the necessity of every man taking up his cross. This was, in fact, telling the people in what way they might arrive at that belief for which St. Peter was so blessed. For let it be observed, that this was the mode by which St. Peter had arrived at it. He had taken up the Cross at the first, and followed CHRIST when He called him to forsake all; and the result was, that he had now come to the full knowledge of that Truth. To suppose, therefore, that a doctrine so unspeakable and mysterious as that of the Atonement, is to be held out to the impenitent sinner, to be embraced in some manner to move the affections, is so unlike our LORD's conduct, that it makes one fear for the ultimate consequences of such a system.

VOL. V.-87.

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Or again, consider the case of Judas Iscariot; what was the cause of his not believing? it was simply this, that he had one unrepented sin in his heart. He must have witnessed many miracles, and heard our LORD's Divine teaching; and might have seen His unexampled and transcendent goodness and holiness. But this one sin blinded his eyes and stopped his ears, so that seeing he saw not, and hearing heard not. Had he taken the Baptist's advice to repent; or our LORD's warnings on the subject of riches, or those so often graciously given to himself, as when He said, "Ye are clean, but not all," and "one of you shall betray me," and "It were good for that man, if he had never been born," then he might have believed; and might have been possibly "the beloved disciple." In his case, humanly speaking, so far as we can perceive, repentance would have been one with believing in CHRIST. And surely our LORD's conduct to Judas might show us how men might do all that can be done to reclaim a very bad person, without any display of the most ineffable mercies of GoD, beyond what the occasion called for.

But, moreover, if we take the mere general outline and first view of the Gospel narrative, it is so like all God's manifestations of Himself to the world, and the history of what the Church was to be, that it ever occurs to one as shewing the principles of it. "The Desire of all nations had come," "the Messenger of the covenant whom men delight in ;" but He was to be "as a refiner's fire." The power of the Cross was to be shown especially in this its secret character, whereby the strength of GOD being concealed in human weakness, it might act as a test to the dispositions of men it was to be "a sign that should be spoken against, in order that the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed." On the contrary, what do they really mean who adopt the human scheme of teaching and receiving in its fulness the doctrine of the Atonement? how is this to be done? do they understand the meaning of their own words? We hardly know what we speak of when we speak of the Atonement; it is a vast sea which no man can fathom: who can think of it worthily? who can comprehend the Sacraments in which it is hidden? The sea, indeed, itself, is the type or figure of Baptism,

wherein the ways of GoD are, and His paths in the great waters, and His footsteps are not known. Surely men know not what they do, when they define and systematize the ways of GOD in man's redemption, under expressions such as imputed righteousness, justification, and sanctification, and the like; which words stand in their minds for some exceeding shallow poor human ideas, for which they vehemently contend, as for the whole of religion. It is, in fact, to explain the ineffable, to measure the infinite, to enter into the secret counsels of GOD; to circumscribe truths as vast and incomprehensible as the circuit of the heavens in the compass of human system. Whereas we know nothing whatever but this, that a childlike obedience, which accepts the commands and doctrines of Scripture, will be brought to the full knowledge of God.

Surely, I repeat, we know not what we do, when we speak of the doctrine of the Atonement, and of preaching and receiving the same: we know not how much it is the very foundation of every part of Scripture, and how mysteriously it may be contained therein, "the LAMB slain from the foundation of the world." Doubtless, we may suppose that our LORD went about in the fulness of the power of the Atonement, (if we may so speak,) out of that vast sea of mercy dispensing to men as they were able to receive it what were the bodily cures that He wrought, connected as they were with the forgiveness of sins; and what the various blessings that He pronounced, but the distributing of those gifts according as the dispositions of men made them capable of receiving them? To one it was the kingdom of heaven, to another it was consolation, to another it was the inheritance of the earth, to another it was righteousness, to another it was mercy, to another it was the power to see God; thus was the unspeakable power of the Atonement, in all the beatitudes, distributed according to each man's obedience. Not as gifts falling from heaven into the cup of each; but in every case as a pearl of great price, as hid treasure. To another it is spoken of as refreshment," to another "as rest for the soul," to another as being to JESUS CHRIST as "brother and sister and mother;" to another that GOD the FATHER, and JESUS CHRIST, and the COMFORTER will

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