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at the same time, gives of the greatness of God's mercy and of his willingness to save to the uttermost cannot but awaken hope. If God spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, will he refuse such as come to him humbly soliciting pardon? The gist of his own Son is such a demonstration of his merciful design that no sinner need despair ; and the merits of Jesus Christ, the intrinsic worth and sufficiency of his sacrifice, are sufficient to inspire the hope of forgiveness, even should our sins be in number as the sand of the sea, and in aggravation as crimson and scarlet. “ It is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, even the chief."

“ He came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." No degree of guilt can exceed the worth, no depth of pollution surpass the cleansing virtue of the Saviour's blood. To the timid,

, the conscience-stricken, the heavy-laden, the bowed down, he says,

“ Come unto me, and I will give you rest." And even should " the whole head be sick and the whole heart faint, and from the sole of the foot even unto the crown of the head there be no soundness," his call is still, “ Come now and let us reason together; though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool.” Unbelief and despair are thus totally without excuse.

As the atonement is the hope of sinners, so is it also the source of every pious emotion in the breasts of saints. It is the very object of faith; “ Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” It is the spring of repentance; "they shall

; look on me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn.” The wisdom it displays, the amazing love it discloses, and the mighty power which it exhibits, are all fitted to fill the bosom with adoring wonder. Gratitude, the strongest gratitude, is awakened by a view of the magnitude of the blessings with which it is fraught, and the sacrifices which required to be made in order to secure them. Who that thinks of the Son of God, who, being in the form of God, and think

ing it no robbery to be equal with God, yet made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross ;—who, that remembers that, though rich, for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich, but must feel impelled to “ offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of his lips, giving thanks to his name ?”—It is eminently fitted to warm the heart with love.

We must love him who has so loved us as to give himself a ransom for our sins. Cold must be that heart, obtuse must be those affections, which are not kindled into an irrepressible glow by the atonement of Christ. The love of Christ must constrain all who rightly understand this subject, to love him in return. “ Whom having not seen we love,” expresses the spontaneous feeling of every saint. No believer but will be willing to say, “Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee.” This is indeed the test of personal

” Christianity. “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema, maranatha." 6. Love the Lord, all ye his saints.” How is it possible to come under the ardent rays of this burning love, and not feel induced to reflect its beams in kindred and reciprocal emotion! How is it possible for a gracious soul to treat love so dignified with neglect, love so free with ingratitude, love so productive with contempt, love so ardent with indifference, love so constant with even wavering affection!

Nor can anything be conceived better calculated to produce true humility, than the doctrine that man is utterly incapable of saving himself, and that such were his guilt, and corruption, and misery, that less could not suffice for his escape than the awful sufferings of the Son of God. Oh, who that duly considers this but must be deeply humbled and self-abased! What better fitted to stain the pride of human glory, and to fill with all lowliness of mind! The man who firmly believes and cordially embraces this truth, must see him

self to be nothing, yea, and less than nothing. Selfrighteousness, self-sufficiency, self-complacency, selfdependence can never be made to comport with Christ's having given himself a ransom for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity.

It is no way at variance with this, that the doctrine should be viewed as calculated to fill the soul with hope, and joy, and exulting triumph. No limits can be set to the rapturous gladness which it is its native tendency to inspire. In the lowest depth of his humiliation, the believing soul, looking forward to the blessings, and anticipating the triumphs the cross of Christ is destined to secure, rejoices in hope of the glory of Cod. Seeing in it every reason for the highest moral delight and complacency, and feeling that all besides is nothing in comparison, he takes up the passionate yet dignified avowal, “ God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

VI. The atonement more or less affects all the divine dispensations toward our world.

Even the creation of the world, there is every reason to believe, was with the view of its being a theatre on which to exhibit the work of man's redemption by the eternal Son. It is the workmanship of his hand. This is the purpose which it serves ; and that it was framed with a view to its serving its purpose is surely no disputable assertion. Difficulties connected with that profound mystery, the origin of moral evil, may encumber this statement. But we are not bound to remove every difficulty from such a subject before being entitled to demand for it the assent of the mind. The apostle, in express terms, not only claims for Christ the honor of the world's creation, but asserts the purpose of its creation to terminate in Him :-“ All things were created by him, and for him.” He is the final as well as the efficient cause of this world's creation. Our earth was selected as the chosen spot on which the mystery of redemption was to be displayed; and all the scenes of the mediatorial economy were here exhibited. The advent of the promised Messiah took place here; here was led his instructive life ;

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here were wrought his wondrous miracles; here were spoken his still more wondrous addresses ; here were borne his mysterious sufferings; here was accomplished his awful decease; and here were achieved his glorious victories over men and devils, over sin and death.

This is indeed the glory of our world. That it was the abode of Christ and the scene of redemption, throws over it a surpassing lustre, imparts to it a matchless honor. " It is the glory of the world that he who formed it dwelt in it; of the air, that he breathed it; of the sun, that it shone on him; of the ground, that it bore him ; of the sea, that he walked on

; it; of the elements, that they nourished him ; of the waters, that they refreshed him ; of us men, that he lived and died among us, yea, that he lived and died

Yes ; and we may add, had it only been that it was stained with his blood, it was honored by him beyond all human conception. It is through the atonement also, that the things of this world come to be properly enjoyed, as it lays a foundation for that covenant-right to their possession which is essential to all true enjoyment. The righteous enjoy the good things of the present life, because they know they are secured for them by the blood of Emmanuel, and are taught to use them as the provision of a temporary state, looking forward to a better and an enduring portion in the skies. And thus it is, that to them the rose of the garden appears to wear a deeper blush, and the lily of the field to reflect a purer tint, and the sun to shine with a richer splendor, and the morning star to sparkle with a brighter beam, because they are the handiworks, as they are the consecrated emblems, of him who died on Calvary.

.“ One spirit—His,
Who wore the platted thorns with bleeding brows,
Rules universal nature. Not a flower
But shows some touch, in freckle, streak, or stain,
Of his unrivalled pencil.-
His presence who made all so fair, perceived,
Makes all still fairer.”

Cowper. The dispensation of providence regards the atone ment as its centre. Redemption is the grand cent

ous.

"*

point of providence, and atonement is the central point of redemption. The whole apparatus of redemption owes its being and its efficacy to the death of Christ ; and every movement of the complicated wheels of providence derives its impulse from redemption. Preceding events look forward, succeeding events point backward, and meet as in a common centre in the cross. The course of providence, for four thousand years before the advent of the Son of God, prepared the

way for this stupendous event; and the train of occurrences since only serves to follow up the great design of his coming.

• The Lord reigneth-the government is upon

his shoulders.” “ The world is, therefore, not a wandering star, abandoned in wrath, discarded from use, rushing to destruction, but is still held for a design, and turned to an account the most glori

Its Maker has not denounced nor disowned his property.

It
may

be a rebel, but he is still its sovereign : it may be a recusant, but he is still its Lord.”

The dispensation of mercy, in all its several stages, stands, of course, in intimate connection with the cross of Christ. Revelation, the record of these progressive dispensations, is everywhere sprinkled with the blood of atonement. History, type, prophecy, song, epistle, all breathe the sweet-smelling savor of this one theme; and their varied contents derive a character of unity from this pervading circumstance.

From Adam to Moses, the practice of sacrificing, we have seen, existed. Adam, Abel, Noah, Lot, Abraham, all presented their burnt-offerings, which, from the substance of which they consisted, and the language in which they were spoken of, appear to have been both designed and understood to prefigure the great Christian Expiation. Without this they have no meaning, no worth; but are a cruel mockery of man's misery, and a deception of human hopes.

The Mosiac economy had innumerable rites and institutions, calculated to convey distinct ideas of propitiation and vicarious suffering. But, without the atonement of Christ, they were meaningless, useless,