the Infinite. But our consolation is perfect, nevertheless, if our faith is unwavering. Happily God does not make our clear conception or a firm grasp of our understanding, a condition of peace. True it is, indeed, that the wisest of men says well, "Get wisdom, and with all thy getting get understanding" (Prov. iv. 7); yet it is not knowledge but faith that lays hold of the mercy-seat. Nevertheless, the simple ground of justification is that there is no bill, and the prisoner goes out of court. Supposing, however, the defendant really to have committed the deed laid to his charge, he can be acquitted only on terms unknown to an earthly law court. He may be pardoned by his fellow, or his sentence may be commuted, or another may take his place and suffer in his stead-as in India sometimes even unto deathbut the criminal is not hence esteemed as though he had never committed the offence: he cannot be in a parallel condition to him of whom it is declared, "the free gift came unto justification of life." (Rom. v. 16.) He is no more than a current, but questionable phrase, declares"washed and begins again.' Now he who is washed in the blood of Christ is "clean every whit." They who are sanctified by that blood are competent to meet the scrutiny of Him" who hath His eyes like a flame of fire," because 'He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all One." (Heb. ii. 11.) " Rom. iii. 28: "A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." It seems as though another ground of justification were introduced and asserted. Not so. In this sentence and others of a similar character, the instrumentality* alone is announced. It is worthy of remark that in all the utterances of the Spirit concerning washing, sanctification, and justification by the blood, the preposition έvin, is used, as though "in the blood." To this there is one exception, Heb. xiii. 12: "That He might sanctify it through (dià) His blood." But this seems to refer to the secondary sanctification, or holiness of life. To a poor drowning mariner a rope is thrown, he grasps it and is drawn to the land; he is saved, but no one thinks that the rope saves him. He grasps the rope in vain unless there is a strong hand at the other end that pulls him on firm ground. Though quite Scriptural to say "thy faith hath saved thee," there is no uncertain sound about it; it is faith in One able to save unto the uttermost. The term "by faith" here is the instrumental dative, or sub-agent, the primary agent being "the precious blood of Christ,' or Christ Himself shedding that blood. Faith is effective in proportion to its object. If the object is worthless, so will be the faith. If a deceiver, then faith is fatal such are all doomed to who shall believe the lie of the Antichrist. Faith is "precious"-oh! inconceivably precious, when obtained through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Pet. i. 1.) Rom. iii. 24: "Justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Grace or mercy can move toward us only through Christ, because for Him, as the tenant of the cross, grace had no voice: God "spared not His own Son." The Father was well pleased in His Son, but this was because He satisfied all the demands of God's holy law, without the intervention of grace; and this was God's grace to us. The grace of God never can dishonour His justice. Every attribute of the Godhead remains unsullied, though He brings into close, intimate relationship with Himself those who were once "thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners; .. but they are washed, they are sanctified, they are justified." Rom. iv. 25: "Jesus our Lord.. was raised again for (dià=because of) our justification." This Scripture may readily be misapprehended, owing to the different meanings of our word "for."* It means here" because *Thus, "I am going for my friend" may mean to fetch him, or as his messenger, or instead of him. "I am going for a year," means during that time. "He took me for a spy," means to be one. .of." The blood had been shed, the Sin-bearer had poured out His soul unto death, so death had no more dominion. The slain slew the slayer. Thus the objects of the Redeemer's love being "justified by His blood," He rose again." Although all the work is not accomplished at the resurrection, for the High Priest had not yet entered into the most holy place with His own blood, yet the justification of His people was complete. If it be asked, Wherein did the incompleteness consist? the answer is, With regard to "heaven itself." "It was necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these (ceremonial blood-sheddings), but the heavenly things themselves with better things than these" (Heb. ix. 23); hence," by means of the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation (Krioews), neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered in once into the most holy (rà aya).† having obtained eternal redemption for us.' (Heb. ix. 11, 12.) We have already remarked that the three processes, washing, sanctification, and justification, embody the atonement. This simple English word oceurs but once in the New Testament Scriptures, though the word so translated is found three times; otherwise translated ciling," "reconciliation." Its cognate verb occurs six times, and it is always translated "reconciled." recon The word "atonement" has been explained as at-one-ment. In the Italian adunare, "to unite," we clearly In this passage there has been a general oversight of the Greek word, as also in ver. 24; whereas it is a distinct word from that in ver. 2 (åyía=sanctuary, or holy place). Again, in viii. 2, there is a worse blunder: Twv åyiwv = of the saints; the translation is by words equivalent to "the holy place of ix. 12. again, x. 19, should be "liberty into the way of the saints," instead of "boldness to enter into the Holiest." The Greek words are not proper for "the Holiest," but are the invariable ones for "the saints." See HEBREW CHRISTIAN WITNESS, No. 18, p. 280. So = trace the Latin ad, to, and unus, one. This is certainly the meaning of reconcile, "to return into fellowship," which issues from a coming together. The word reconcile re-con-cilia," the eyelashes together again;" hence any two other things, and hence God and man. The word has no real force beyond this, though an intrinsic meaning has been assigned to it, in reference to the sufferings of the Redeemer. It has this application, doubtless; but it really gathers up, in a word, the consequence of all the Saviour had done when He cried, "It is finished." As soon as the sinner has by faith accepted the whole work of the Saviour, then for him "th' atoning work is done;" henceforth he is" clean every whit, and needeth not save to wash his feet;" he is brought nigh, to go no more out from the presence of the pure and holy God, His Father in Christ. Made one with God! This gives us some insight into that deep saying, "That God may be all in all." (1 Cor. xv. 28.) Not a mere incorporation into Himself; much less an absorption, and so a loss of all personality; but God in us, and we in Him-a marvellous interpenetration. As the great Sun and his surrounding planets have a mutual co-efficiency, so has the great God determined with regard to the saints and Himself. The unification is decreed and provided for, but not an abrogation of the units. So again, as the sun attracts the worlds revolving around him to himself, and they him; God likewise attracts the saints to Himself, and they Him. The one is the attraction of gravitation, the other of beauty"Thou art all fair, my love, there is no spot in thee." (Cant. iv. 7.) us remember that though the Church is the Bride of Christ, she was the gift of God to Him,-" Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me." (John xvii. 6.) The Church was to God a priceless jewel, and this He gave to His Son. We say, in ineffable wonder, "A bride worthy of her Lord;" first, because of the original creation of God;" and, secondly, because of the infinite price of redemption. Nothing could justify such an outlay but the innate excellence of Let "the purchased possession." If we go no further in our thought than the rescue of captives-true though it be -we greatly err: it is a redemption, or buying back of a lost possessiona redemption worthy of the Redeemer, however worthless we may and ought to be in our own esteem. This atonement, or reconciliation, is worthy of further notice here. Man, from the hands of his Maker, pure and holy, had undreading intercourse with Him: he disobeyed, and then shrank from all approach; he had become God's enemy. In proof that God had not become man's enemy, witness His announcement of recovery -an announcement made, indeed, to the foe that had effected this ruin, but in grace toward the victim-"I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head." (Gen. iii. 15.) God was displeased, but it was the anger of a friend. There was destruction for the calumniator of God, but recovery and love for the deluded ones. was the mode of reconciliation of those who, being beguiled, were estranged from God, and whose descendants have ever since counted the God whom they propose to worship as one that must be propitiated. They do not, in the blind folly of their hearts, see that God Himself has accomplished this in Jesus, "whom He hath set forth (pre-ordained) to be a propitiation* through faith in His blood" (Rom. iii. 25); "and He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John ii. 2.) This The atonement or reconciliation has been all accomplished except man's part, and that, happily, is only his acceptance of it. This can take place only when the enmity is overcome, which a new creation alone can effect: "If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature." (2 Cor. v. 17.) The old creation is not de In this passage the Greek word is ἱλαστήριον, which some would render "mercy-seat," and restrict the word "propitiation to ἱλασμός, which occurs in 1 John ii. 2 and iv. 10. stroyed, though the sentence is passed; and this old creature hates as deeply as ever, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man, but I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." (Rom. vii. 22, 23.) So that clearly enough it is not the conversion of the old man into a new, but the superconstruction of one "new man after the image of Him that created him." (Col. ii. 10.) In all questions of Christian casuistry this should be borne in mind: there is no ground for exculpation derived from this, but there is for discrimination; thus says Paul, "If I do that which I will not to do, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." (Rom. vii. 20.) Paul does not excuse himself, but he does discriminate. He does not, as a new creature, will to sin, yet he does sin: he wills to do good, but does it not; yet he is a well-doer, for the Spirit of God works effectually in him. 2. As in Washing, and also in Sanctification, so in Justification, there is a second great feature to be noticed, viz., Justification by works. This is, as in the two previously considered parts of the great work of our Redeemer, the practical exhibition of the same, a representment of that which He has, in reality, effected, but which seeks this way of declaring itself. At the very outset, let it be understood, that the very same works which God, in His grace, accepts from one He might reject in another. Why is this? Because these works have no intrinsic excellence. Now "without faith it is impossible to please God;" whilst faith, however faintly it may show itself, is precious in the esteem of God, for it has for its object "the Son of His love." It would be scarcely satisfactory for any one to say, "I love you," and give no proof in loving actions. Nor would these very actions themselves have any value of love in our esteem unless we could perceive them to proceed from a heart of love. Just so we connect the two, justification by faith and justification by works: they are inseparable as the sun and its dox; but his Digest is considered faithful, as it certainly is a most masterly work. The anarchy that has ever prevailed among Jews in the way of publishing books, is a very singular feature; every body could publish any book he chose, and take his chance of acceptance, though a young Rabbi would gladly avail himself of the approval (D) of one better known than himself. But while Jewish writ ings thus abound in much that is very spurious, they also contain, seattered here and there, and in collected form too, rules of justice and mercy, of devotion, purity, and holiness, hardly inferior to the Gospel itself. Some people are offended with admissions like this, as if people of other religions would have no need to be converted to Christianity, so long as there is any thing good in their own religions. But the missionary should know that his business is not merely to convert men to Christian morality, but to Christ, as the Saviour of sinners. Men do not so much want rules of life, as power to live by the rules they already know, "power to become the sons of God."* One main use, however, which the missionary can make of the Jewish literature is, to see the workings of the Jewish mind, to learn the Jewish art of reasoning. And here the New Testament itself furnishes us with a most remarkable illustration. According to St. Paul's own testimony, he was less successful with Jews than St. Peter,† though we cannot but be sure that he possessed much higher qualifications as a missionary to Jews than S. Peter, though we must entirely reject the notion that the Fishermen apostles, were really ignorant men; they had a familiar, critical knowledge (for their time) of the Hebrew Bible, when Hebrew had ceased to be vernacular, and for nearly three years they had been the disciples of Jesus. Still more utterly must be rejected the shallow notion that St. Peter was a Judaiser, or that there was any difference whatever in doctrine, between the two great apostles. § But the fact is that, while St. Paul's Rabbinical style-if only by its originality-gav him an advantage when dealing with Gentiles, his Greek style, grafted upon the Rabbinical, was fatal to him among Jews. It is allowed that the few quotations from Greek poets, that occur in his epistles, and in his addresses, recorded in the book of the Acts, d not decisively prove St. Paul to have possessed much of Greek cultu... But what may satisfy us that he had such culture is, the style and curre! of his argumentation,—an imitation, so far as practicable, even of Plat Dialogue, only that instead of two persons speaking by turns, he suppos an objector, in such forms as, "Thou wilt say then. why doth 1 yet find fault?"|| "Thou wilt say then, the branches were broken off t I might be graffed in."¶ "But some man will say, How are the de raised?"** &c., and those never ending questions and answers, with qu sharp turns, which are so characteristic of the Pauline argument, utt. unlike the rabbinical forms (12) 1’JP, AND ON), &c.) with which t might be compared. For a Jew, St. Paul's argumentation is much. † Gal. ii. 8. * John i. 12. ** 1 Cor. xv. 35. Le hungry poor. be satisfied with tations when, if hand withhold help. One of y foes, and lost he said and did ords, he falsified mus, unsustained, ght his head to will it be with do not," as the s of old. highest oharl bestowed on red on His head spikenard very uding her from 1 against her, done what she h be said of many of us not the things it's" (Philip charge, not ul, affooted the day, men and redeemed with Christ, and who old of the hope ce we better than ame things beset bend our necks so thoughts to a entreaty of Paul, refore, brethren, od, that yo proliving snorilloo, to God, which is vice." (Rom. xii. ady to admit the this service, who hend the neces er to perfect their y not to ensure this is rather "a not really more so that "by works ect;" which means - a true and perfect nce. It is reasond give some proof ; thus said one of thou say 'I love heart is not with cked me these three vi. 15.) To his ruin, |