The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1915-08-27
THE CORRESPONDENCE OF
REV. PROF. DAVID SMITH, DID.

and plead for forgiveness. Is not
this a mistake? / think we are in
clined to believe in the efficacy OF
our prayers for pardon and cleansing
rather than in the efficacy of faith
in the Atonement of Christ.
Charles Wesley says: My pardon |
claim; for a sinner / am Do not
these words express what should be
our attitude in this matter You
are absolutely right, and have all
ready in this column pointed out
how true and seriptural this attitude
is, and what enlargement and as
surance it's recognition brings. The
fundamental fact is that the Lord
Jesus died for the whole world (c.f.
St. John iii. 16), and His infinite
Sacrifice has procured pardon for
every sinner. The truth is not that
he has made forgiveness possible,
but that he has made it actual. 1.-THE
Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity
of us ALL" and He has borne it. He
has, to employ the forensic termin-
ology, paid the universal debt, and
all that any poor sinner needs to do
is to appropriate the full mercy and
rejoice in his acquittal. If anyone
remains an outcast, the reason is not
that there was no mercy for him,
\, all of nj i'm t1ea
mercy which was thru Jesus Christ.
Once, when ! was mere child, 1
heard sanity Scottish preacher dis
coursing on the text: eff we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness" q John
i. 81. The truth which he proclaim
ed was that, since Christ has made
atonement for the sin of the world,
God has pledged to have mercy on
every penitent sinner, and if he re-
fused He would not be faithful and
just; He would be false to His en-
acting debt which has already been
paid. One sentence in HRS 'dicourse
laid hold of my mind and 1T clings
to it still: There is one thing, and
only one, that every Sinner has "a
right to, and that not even God can
deny him-full, free mercy for
Christ's sake Very apposite in
this connection is that story which
DR.. John Brown tells off his father
how once he was visiting godly
old woman ON her deathbed, and,
wishing to test her faith, he asked
her in the austere manner of that
period: Janet, what would you say
if, after all that He has done for
you, God should let you drop into
hell?" "E'en's (even as) He likes"
was her answer; 'if HE does, He'll
lose mair than TIL do" He would
have lost His good name. His char
acter as faithful and just. 1t is the
New Testament rendering of the Old
Testament idea of the covenant be-
bWVVAA SOo Ah1u LID IAbCOplCy WuACA
He would surely observe, and which
only their .NInfaithfuEHess could in
validate And If this evangelical
truth were more clearly perceived
and more firmly grasped there would
be less misgiwing in the hearts of
believers, less lack of assurance"
and Drawer and more joyful faith
1t is a truth which is needed from
beginning to end of the Christian
life. t7) 1t "Opens the way for al
penitent at his first approach to the
Saviour and shows him his title to \
enter into peace. 1t tells him that
there is no question Ehether God
will forgive him, since his forgive
ness is already a fait sancompli, and
the only question is whether he will
appropriate the mercy which Christ |
has made his. Christ died for the |
world; and hence, as the sanity Nc
Leod Campbell prt it, ;and for SO
putting it was accounted hereto
by the dead Moderates of his day,
the Gospel message is mot: BE
lieve that Christ died for you, and
your faith viii be an evidence to |
that you are one of those |
for whom He died, but rather: Be
lieve that Christ died for you, be-
cause he died for all mankind" it |
is not: Believe in the forgiveness
of your sins, and they will he for
given" but rather: Believe in the
of your sims because they
ase forgiven" This is our Lords
word to impenitent Jerusalem: 20
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often
would 1, and We would not! There
fore your house is left unto you
desolate." And 81 it affords a
sovereign reinsurance to believers in
every time of darkness and de-
spondeHcy, when they have sinned
and doubt their interest in Christ.
1t tells them that, though their I'M
faithfulness be surprise to them,
it is no surprise to Him, and it needs