Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-11-22

OF any man, so long as ne S1stalus AIS present
relations TO the government of God, as q sub
ject Of law. when good works will not
be inst as ineXorahy demanded as If hs
had never sinnsd at sli To argae Otherwise
would be to maintain the most palpabie ana
shocking absurdity, tbas a Unite being sastalH-
ing perpetual and unreleased connection with
an Infinite 1ag. could By bis obedience secare:
and then offer to 6od "a the foundation aud
reason Of his hope hqd security. redundancy
of merit. IL IL on this orter and nature ol
things the apostle Paul bass the assertion
q Not Of works. lest any man should boast"
Bat We pass on to- the consideration Of the
only other restitution which man can be deemed
carabIe Of offering ia case like this. voluntary
suffering. This brings Us, my hearers, to con,
slider what in IFS very nature is both sbsurd and
vain. If the law requires that We should sn1er.
that very suffering beeomes part OF our duty
and Of our Obligation. And to suffer, therefore,
is to endure penal sanction. and to endure "
80 long as the Law and the sanction continue
what they are But to endure this, Is 20 nndeTg 20
that from which our saferings are desiSned IN
sueh case 20 exempt US.
4 If however. the design be to invent system
Of penances of our own. that shall answer the
twofold purpose Of satisfying the law and ooiit-
erqtilg already existing sanctions. we reply
that that is to accomplish what, not being re,
quired, can constitute no part of our duty; and
is therefore TO superahfx to the Divine law taat
which. so fer from being satisfactory, must De
absolutely contradictory. And here, my hear
ers, permit me 20 press the euestlen upon your
attention. how can any finite, limited suffer-
ings. whether voluntary or demanded, expiate
the Infinite guilt of rebellion against the I'M
macuiate holiness OF infinite and adorable SOW
reignty and majesty Ali mere penitence, good
works and Tolantary .sunerinx-these methQds
OF escape may satisfy the priests OF superstttlon
and fall in with the pride OF mans heart, but
depend upon it, nay beloved friends. they viii
fall infinitely below what that God with whom
we have TO do has already adjudged our emer-
gences TO be. Yes. these methods OF salvation
may deliver us from an imaginary purgafory:
but how shall they save us from the eondemna-
ti0n that reaches TO the utmost stretch OF hu-
man existence? They may even purchase for
us a written and sealed absolution from the
hands OF poor gdrfleeps crinlnts who has as
sumed TO himself the sacerdotal office and arro-
gated to himself the high prerogatiyes of God.
but how lithey commend us TO the acceptance
of Him without whose absolution we must for
ever stand rejected? Yet these are mans only
devices, his only oblatiOn to save his soul. Nor.
as we have said. might all the angels in glory
come to him in his extremity and successfully
mediate between him and his God. In matter
like this. all created intelligenees occupy the
same ground. and sustain the same legal reia-
tions, and are bound by the same obligations.
How, then, shall the ail-important question be
answered Who shall entreat for man Super
fetal thinkers nre apt to imagine that however
incompetent men and angels may have been
for such an undertaking, that before Omnl-
potence difficulty must vanish away But, my
brethren, it never did and ii never could lay
within the compass of Gods Infinite authority
to restore q fallen world by peremPtory grant
without the intervention OF appropriate means,
and without an adequate restitution. Ii IS not
to be overlooked, that whatever the power and
whatever the authority he may possess. God IS
essentially moral governor, and that therefore
when difficulties OF moral nature occur In his
empire, almighty power can OF itself be OF no
avail. Indeed, as an able theologian has well
said, power has no more to do IN q case OF pure
reason than reason in d case OF mere power.
1t cannot, indeed, be questioned thar 1t does lie
within the compass OF 0mnipOtence TO pardon
and restore; yet to do so reasonably, morally,
and righteously, andin such way as to maintain
the harmony, and at the same time display the
perfections of his moral nature, IL another
question altogether. Well and truly, therefore.
has it been aaid to pardon and save conform
ably with such character, so as TO produce the
harmonsing of his holiness and Justice. and
this in operation with his mercy and grace; so
as to display at once the just God and the justi'
flying Saviour so as 10 make mercy and truth
meet, righteousness and peace embrace SO as
to reconcile the angelic song in both its parts
GLORY to God in the highest heav ems, with
goodwill to man, and peace On earth =; TO pro-
vide a salvation not less but far more gloriousIy
expressive of the Divine character than the
destruction of the guilty, for whom 4 Is the
remedy-this is some idea OF the dlfnculty
which existed, as it should appear before God
himself. 1u-
In the exercise of power BY human govern
ments, nothing imparts to them so much per-
lection and glory as the exercise Of that power,
under the checks and discipline OF pTin-
ciple and of law. Bat whatever Is observed
to be noble and attractive in the administration
of human authority in this respect, Is but an ap-
proximate imitation of the Divine. As IN the
one it is an established doctrine that the ma
jesty and authority of the Governor must be
maintained, though IT cost the slsnsI VISITATION
Of remunerative Justice on the head of the Of
fender, even SO it is IN the Divine This Is the
fundamental principle OF the primal Law, The
day thou sinnest, thou shalt die" Hence, too,
the republished law of God by Moses, Cursed
Is every one who contInueth not in all things
written in the book of the law to do them"
How to grasp and remove the barriers of such
a difficulty, and lay a foundation for human
hopes, at once safe for man and honorable TO
God, who, my hearers could possibly have pre-
conceived? Who could. properly. reasonably.
and successfully interfere where there is such al
involvement of the Divine honor. glory, and
mAiesty2 The yileness and turpitude of human
rebellion He measures BY the inhnltude oil his
own insulted pertections. And as human sin,
thus estimated, stretches beyond human ability
to atone for 1t, 50 ne neea nothing so mpch
as to know 6od IN some new aspeot OF
bis nature, in some new contrIvance OF his
wisdom, in some work Of his grace, whereby we
NAV be encouraged and enabled to look up and
saw This God is our God for ever and ever"
This needed revelation of himself he has been
pleased to make in the wonderful mystery al
sodliness, the pillar and ground OF gospel truth,
"God manifested in the flesh, and thus the sal
vation he announces IL seen to be wholly and
entirely his own it is that which he required,
and which in the default of the universe he pro-
yided himself; the salvation he can accept. and
which therefore he has revealed; the foundation
which be announces as all his own, Behold
lay in Zion for 8 foundation a stone" and ol
which he thus speaks by another propbet, Who
art thou great mountain before Aerubbabel
thou shalt become plain, and he La type Of
Christ shall bring forth the headstone thereof
mot By might nor by power, but by any Spirit,
saith the Lord of hosts he who at first in
glorious majesty. laid the foundations of the
heavens and tke earth: asserts his claim to pre-
side an alone ia grsej0us majesty In this new
creation. How this Divine cQntriyanee was
accomplished the Scriptures announce TO US
with the utmost precision and simplicity.
The Word which in the beginning was
God enshrined his glory amongst rs in
g tabernScle Of Aesh. and thus became our Re:
deemer and kinsman, When the fitness Of
time was come, God sent forth his Son. made OF
a woman. as to his person; made under the
law" as to his Office; and as to the gracious and
glorious end proposed. to redeem US from the
curse of the law, that we might receive the
adoption of sons, and partake the Spirit OF his
son In our hearts. His immaculate purity being
secured by his supernatural conception, as 9
Tasn he suffered 10 qVr guilty nature snd be-
cursed sinners as God. he fixed an Importance
on his suffeTings worthy of the nature offended
and satisfied the Justice Of law By the dignity Of
the sacrifice This is Christ, the wisdom and
the power of God" And thus in him the appal-
ling difficulties that lay. heaped heaven.hish
inthe way of man recovery, God, the Divine
Majesty, has net and fully renewed And taEi
ces was made known the manifold wisdom and
| goodness Of God.
Herein as have fully discovered the atone
ment. the restitution, the Oblation and saeri-
fee demanded by the majesty. the law, and the
Justice of tod. But, thea, these do not remove
| the obstacles which law and justice and truth
constantly held in cur way to the favor Of God
There srs difficulties that lie inherent 10 the Ra-
ture of the sinner that must be lifted out St the
|! way. bat which the atq1eElent Of itself never
reachel. God cannot saye man in bis sins, And
! yet such is the stHpeiaetion sin has brought
/ hpon his better powers; so profoundly is be
asleep TO the interests OF his sonl that no reVe-
lsti0n of Jehovah has eyer attracted his eye, nc
| kls csmpasfion and mercy in Christ have eyeI
| reached his ear, and touched aud won ms
| aienatei and obdurate heart So that there
must be distinct awsk ening made TO pass on
| the dark and torpid and oyerborne faculties oi
bis sopl ere the matters e Shrlst sqd fhe eIcs'
the character Of necessity and ef certainty, ana
| he be made truly to aPprehend the bearing IL
which he stands to his God, and to the eternity
| which is so ready to absorb him
| fore with an authority all his own, Jehovah
| here. too, interposes for cur help, and asserts
| his own strength for our deiiyerance
Il will sprinkle clean water upon youi
and ye shall be clean; from al yeuI
| cleanse you. A new heart also will give ycu,
and n new epirit will put within you and
VIII take away the stony heart out Of your flesh;
| and will give you heart OF flesh. and VIII
| nut my Spirit within you, and cause you 70
| Aaik in IaE statutes ana ye shall Fsep ms
| judgments, and do them-" And herein Is the
| exposition Of the sublime experience the Aros-
| tie had and which 5 the stipulated inhertane e
( Of ever child Of hi. grace. cod, who az Erst
hath skined n oar hearts. 10 sIss The sEt d
| the knowledge Of the glory Of God in the iacs