Smyrna times., 1872-02-14

becomes a victim. Christ was not victim.
His sacrifice was voluntary. He was led as
lamb to the slaughter-as a sheep dumb before
his shearers so opened he not his mouth-the
glance from his eye was dim with tears of
agony, yet he could have said the word and
twelve legOns of angels would have hastend to
| attend him. He was not victina II Law
down my life, etc. The blood of the martyrs
cries to heaven for vengeance; the blood of
| the blessed Jesus pleads only for mercy.
All these theories ignore the effect of sin,
and assume that the sinner is only saved from
the penalty Of sin by being saved from sin, and
that the cross, therefore, is merely designed to
effect moral influence upon his heart and
thus bringing him away to righteousness.
The cross, however, first of all is an image of
forgiveness, and this point cannot be safely
ignored.
l. We are told that it is unjust that the
innocent should suffer for the guilty This
doctrine of substitution, howeter, is recognized
by the world. When the king OF the Locrians
sacrificed one of his eyes that his son might
not be deprived of both the world applauded
the act The blood Of the innocent has power
| to save.
2. But it is observed that there can be no
possible need of the atonement since God can
not be unwilling to forgive the sinner. The
atonement was provided by God himself, not
because he is unwilling to forgive the sinner,
but because his righteousness must be main
tanned In forgiveness. God is a sovereign as
we'll as father. He must insist on character
as well as love. 1t is objected that God can
regard no conditions aside from repentance.
He Is father, and what father would refuse
to pardon his son? We are commanded to
forgive freely our enemies, and not to avenge
ourselves, but we are to forgive because we
need forgiveness, and not to avenge ourselves
because God will himself 'repay" We must
not forget that there is wide gulf between
the finite and the infinite When we have
done all, we are still Improbable servants
Is that true of God?
Government tells us not to avenge ourselves.
In the Dublin riots-Kilvardeu as he fell, cried,
Friends, murder must be punished, but let
no man die through me except according to the
laws of his country" We are to forgive over
and over again-but we are to forgive on prin
ciples precisely opposite those of God. You
forgive not sin, but injury only. You are
sinner before God you are liable to be unjust
in avenging yourself; Gods justice is stric
justice. You, as sinner, have no claim or
God; In like manner as the prisoner has ne
claim on the mercy of his sovereign j; and ye
expects his pardon as though it were wrong to-
his sovereign to withhold it
Justice and mercy are essential in the
divine character; but there is frequently
| u1lSCOuCSpJlOu vi Tue term mercy as III LHere
was no righteousness in it. Even love is grand
in righteOuness The adverse side of love i.
wrath; love, hindered resisted, dispised a
length becomes wrath. There is both ligh
and heat from the Sun. There exists posi-
tive and negative electricity. So with God !
love; it is a creditor to the sinners heart; tina
love resisted hOvers about him and become
righteous. Righteousness only can be blest
The, elements in the Sun and in electricit.
render them destructive as well as useful
The electricity is the sheeted lightning and it
benifcent poweris due to its great strength. An
) so comes rejected love and mercy, like consum
ing fire. But few days ago chaplain stoo
by his cOlonels coffin and pronounced tb
funeral Grafton over one OF the most note
) ibertines of the day. He said Fisk had hi
faults and they were many, but they all sin
| into insigni6cance in consideration of his grea
benefcence."
e Christ's cruci6xion becomes the wisdom c
e God and the power Of God to the world b
8 making an atOnement for sin and securing il
e forgiveness. 1t is said that Christ bore OF
sins as our sicknesses. He did more. Fl
wept with weepers; but while he sympathizc
n with the suffering-he also relieved them. H
h raised the dead and comes to the sinner NJ
{ only in feeling of compassion but bringir
t relief. There is something here that is n
1 to be philosophicaly explained-there is
mystery in it. The magnet passes by slv
g and attracts the iron so does the cross. The
II were many scofers at the cross but likewi
10 many mOurners. But the cross brings n
10 tears alone, but something beyond this
if given. In the hours when some womC
" amented, the Saviour said, Daughters, wet
,e not for me but for yourselves and your ch
dren." 1t il the feeling of Mary Magdale
is who broke the box of precious ointme
tx followed by divine reward wherever til
IS gospel shall be preached it shall be told for
th memorial of her; the cross goes down to Il
re sinners heert awakening remorse and stranI
looking forward to that which is to come, al
as thou comest into thy Kingdom" The mast
answers ''To day shall thou be with me
en- Paradise" The gospel goes TO the sinner
no soul and awakens him. "Who is this tn
at saves me?" A feeling of gratitude tax
ist possession of him, the kingdom of heav
ms comes into his soul
av The cross becomes moral power by insp
he ing gratitude in the sinners heart and Il
brings him under obligation to Christ and
II: I'VE love him because he first loved u.s."
ch the pardoned sinner, the cross is indeed
Ias proclamation of divine love, an expression
IN divine sympathy for the lost, an example
vs. grace, a self sacrifice, giving emphasis a
an power to the teachings of Jusus Christ,
1es atonement procuring forgiveness, and ii
,ou inspiring profound gratitude touching thu
zer hidden depths of the soul which have ne'
be been touched by the moral teachers of I
,ut world
,ay You furnish this room for Christ's sa
md You labor and teach your youth for Chri:
div sake; you live hoer lives for Christ's sal
t. all this you do, and do it for Chrsts sak'
ave you feel that Christ has brought salvation
his your souls.
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