and that unless the merits of Christ be imputed to us through faith, we must inevitably sink under deserved condemnation. At the same time, we do not undertake to justify such language; but rather regret that the use of it should have supplied a pretext for opposing and deriding an essential article of our faith; nor do we deny that, in some instances, such language may have been suggested by, or have occasioned, a misconception of its import.

We must remark, moreover, that it is an undue excitement of the imagination which impels us to dilate upon the images or similitudes, employed by the sacred writers to illustrate the facts which they declare and the doctrines which they inculcate-to expand them into detail and particularity. Such a custom grievously militates against the apparent consistency of the Scriptures; as it would, indeed, against that of any writings abounding in figurative and descriptive language. Thus, to imagine and depict the Son of God as in the act of meeting the demand of the Father for the condemnation of the sinner, by appealing to his work and sufferings for our sakes to represent him as exhibiting the prints of his wounds, the memorials of his passion, to appease his awakened wrath, and

to stay his arm uplifted to destroy us, is an undue excitement of the fancy upon the illustration before us that office of our advocate which St. John has ascribed to the Son of God. For there is nothing in the Scriptures which warrants such a conception of the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. There is nothing in the demand of a satisfaction for the violation of the divine law-nothing in the necessity of a mediator through whom we might have access to him. as the suppliants of his mercy and the expectants of his bounty, which stands opposed to that parental relation which he is revealed as sustaining towards us, or which should, in the smallest degree, discourage and embarrass our highest confidence in Him as the Father of our spirits.-Nay, the fact that there is a satisfaction for sin-that there is a Mediator, is everywhere represented to us as the effect and manifestation of his paternal goodness and compassion, and the wonderful plan of his own infinite wisdom; whereby he at once attests the rectitude of his laws, upholds the honour of his government, and, notwithstanding, exempts the guilty from the desert of their transgressions, being "just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." But we need

not insist upon a fact so abundantly asserted in the word of God. It is undeniable that, while the Scriptures assume a distinction of Persons in the one God, and distinguish between the offices which they severally sustain in the economy of our salvation, they teach us to regard our redemption as equally the act of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. However they may exceed and baffle our comprehension by the use of language implying a plurality of persons-intelligent subsistences possessing attributes of a person-in the mysterious, inscrutable being of the one God, they leave us in no perplexity with regard to the absolute unity of his will and purpose the unity of his will to save us. The same Apostle who represents the Son of God as our Advocate with the Father, comprehends the whole of the Divine character under the single attribute of love-" God is love." We are taught, then, to apply the subject before us as a ground of unmixed confidence and satisfaction in the Deity; and assuredly, on reflection, we cannot but perceive that it holds out to us a most needful encouragement in our approaches to his footstool, and is fraught with peculiar consolation to every penitent believer in the Gospel.

The individual who implores any favour from another, naturally casts about for some plea of merit to allege in his behalf. Especially if he seeks to avert a punishment which he dreads, or sues for forgiveness, he naturally looks around for some circumstance of excuse or palliation—that is, for some remaining portion of desert, however scanty; so that his petition may not appear altogether extravagant and presumptuous. And does not this desire of assuming an appearance of justice and consistency in the requests which we prefer to a fellow-creature, attend us in our supplications to Almighty God? Do we not commonly deem it of importance that we should have some plea to allege in our behalf, in order to procure his favour and compassion? We may be conscious, it is true, that we are not innocent or meritorious, but sinful creatures, and cannot, in rectitude, demand any benefit at his hands, whether needful to our welfare here or hereafter;-yet is it not natural, when we approach His footstool, to fix upon some redeeming trait in our character-to task our memory for some pious and virtuous actions which we may have performed to look for something which may be pleaded in mitigation of his displeasure, and may support the hope

of his forgiveness? Now, this great requisite in our prayers to God-a sufficient plea in our favour-one for which we may securely and confidently trust we shall be heard, is offered us in the mediation and advocacy of Jesus Christ; and it may well excite our wonder, that, devoid, as we confess ourselves to be, of personal or inherent worthiness, we do not feel more deeply the inestimable privilege of being permitted to plead, in our prayers for pardon and life eternal, that name by which we are called. The remembrance of a life comparatively virtuous and holy, or the consciousness of a prevailing regard to the precepts of the Gospel, is indeed most consolatory and valuable to the suppliant for divine mercy; inasmuch as it demonstrates his experience of the practical effects which the mediation of Christ was designed to produce; and is consequently indispensable to his actual participation of its benefits.* Accordingly, St. John, immediately after declaring the advocacy of Jesus Christ, affirms an obedience of the divine commandments to be the certain and only test of a true, availing knowledge of God:-" Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his com

*The connexion of "works" with "faith" in our justification is treated at length in this volume.