Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-05-25

meeting divine law The finding of the ha
man conscience, so far as san against -ha4
man laaO is concerned Is that it shall
punished in the person of the sinner; blu
| the finding Of that same conscience, 40hei
the sin IS against the divi7ae laaO. IS that 4
| shall be punished an the person of a SubSti
| tute. 1t would be well for legal minds
who laugh at the idea of the innocent be
ing slain for the guilty, to consider Thu
statement, and endeavor to account for thi
distinction which the conscience makes be
tween the mode of satisfying human law
and that of satisfying divine law. For ii
judgement certainly is as above stated, viz
That in human courts crime must be pun.
ished in the offender, but at GODS bar, i
we are accepted, sin must be punished in 6
substitute.
Let me now call your attention to well
accredited facts which prove that the con-
science of the pagan world is in harmony
with that of the Jewish and Christian
world. That the pagans around the Jews
in the days Of the Mosaic ritual approached
God in this way is so clear that it needs but
TO be stated. Out in the world, in the court
of the Gentlies, pagan priests minis
tered, victims Were slain and
affairs smoked. The annals of the heather
world, from that day to this, prove that the
conviction is still in the heather mind that
he must approach God through sacrifice.
To this day, as we see from reports of our
missionaries, they hold, not only to the ins
carnation Of Deity, but also to the substi-
tuition of the innocent for the guilty. Thu
as the poisoned waters of the marsh
troubled with venOmOus reptiles, my re-
feet broken and distorted images Of the
stars that shine above, 50 the pagan annals
reflect back some glimmer of that Grand
truth that God WAS manifest in flesh, and
the pagan conscience maddened though it
is with crime, reflects back, distorted
though it may be, something of that grand
central truth Of the Bible that "withouL The
shedding of blood there is no remissi II Cf
sin" Inis truth seems 10 have been
craven as deeply on the heather conscience
as on that Of the Jew Gods handwriting
on the heather heart, though stained ana
blotted, is still viible in the light of the
Bible. Every where they know their reia-
tions with God have been disturbed, and
everywhere by sacrifices they fancy nose
relations are bettered, and God made more
favorable to them. The prophet Micah
has given utterauce to the poor heaLhen
when he says:
"Wherewith shall come before the Lord,
and bow myself before the high God?
Shall come before him with burnt offer
ings, with calves Of year old? viii the
Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
or with ten thousands of rivers OF oil?
Shall give my first born for my trans
erosion, the fruit of my body for the sin
of my soul"
The intensity of their convictions as
from the fact that they u.d not
stop at hecatombs OF animal sacrifices, Dat
looking on man as the head of this word,
they slew him in sacrifice to. their gous.
They went beyond this, and selec.eI me
best of men to die, believing that tue uIg-
nifty Of person had something 10 90 Win
me sacrifice. Thus the Carthngehians III
heir great peril selected the best cAll1fen
)f their highest mobiles, and cast mem W,ru
he red-hot Artas oi tn cir III u god. mere
vas great ItJvlcl' anI"Lg the woT-
hippers of the Gyd OLiu when the iut for
sac; ifce to him fell on the sinZ OF tie
ration himself: for ne being tie highest
he sacrifice WAS most mertoTiOus. An
,ther element that entered into the merit
# the sacrifice Was tho Willingness of the
,aTty to be sacrificed for the good OF the
ation. Where the chief of the people
'oluRtarlly offered himself the vaiu5 Of the
acrifice then culminatedi there could be
10 moro meriLOrlOus sacrifice in the eyes
# the Gods than that. Now, to what did
uch rites point? Why, look out the best, |
he purest, the highest? Can any one be |
O blind as not to see in these perversiOns |
finger pointing, in the darkness though |
was, to one who was the head and crown /
t the race, the only complete man Of the |
World, who, when the fulness of the time |
anne, offered himself, voluntarily, Il sacri- |
zee without spot unto God? Is there not |
merit In such death The human IN
erstanding sees firm ground of justifca-
ion on which to stand, seeing it was Jesus
yhO died, and the human console Ce feels |
ow that God can be just and yet justify |
be sinner
If we turn away from this substitute
viii not the heather world rise up aud con-
emn us2
No, we will not, we cannot turn from
esus. His one sacrifice is complete. 1t is
nished. and now the way is open. How
arnestiy he presses the invitation, come,
Jr all things are ready. He will satisfy
very want, meet every desire. |
Lis promises are sealed in his blood, and, |
lany sided, they turn to all the confessions
nd longings OF the heart of man. Why
OF then trust them and give yourself 10
rod in the bonds of an everlasting COW
nant? Are you a sinner Jesus came to
ave sinners. Are you condemned? Christ |
the end of the law. Are your sins
einous? Though your sins be as scarlet.
lis blood can make you white as snow,
re your sins numerous as the sand on the
"a shore? His blood cleansetb from all
.'1. Are they grievous burden? Hear
lin, Come unto me all ye that labor and
eavy laden and l will give you rest. l
ill heal your backslidings. Do you
ar your enemies? Lo I am with you o
@ of little faith. Does the future look
ark As thy day, SO shall thy strength
g. The Lord will provide. What must
on do? Only believe accept the substl-
tie offered, believe, and thou shalt be
wed. He that belieyeth hath eternal
nj