• Rom. xi. 34.

all men.

He may suspend, as it were, for a time, the full benefits of His sacrifice, as regards some; and, still, He may be, ultimately, the Saviour of all. He may, even, subject some to punishment; and, still, He may, ultimately, be the Saviour all. But, if He so modify His free gift of salvation; if He subject any portion of mankind to any punishment; He must do so of His own free will, and not from any necessity imposed by the law of holiness; not from any deficiency in the expiatory character of the sacrifice which He has offered. But "who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath It is sufficient for

been his counsellor?" e

us, to know, that, "all the world" is declared to be, equally, "guilty before God;" and, that, the sacrifice offered by Christ, on our behalf, is, abundantly, sufficient to expiate the sins of "all the world." It is quite sufficient for us, to have ascertained, that, the eternal scheme of Christianity embraces, as its two essential, and inseparable, elements, man's utter inability to establish his own righteousness, man's full and free justification through Christ.

But, it may be asked, if this doctrine be admitted, how can obedience to the positive

f

f Matthew

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40; Rom. xiii. 9.

precepts of the gospel be enforced? We reply thus: All the commandments of GOD are comprehended in the two-fold injunction to love God and to love man; "therefore, xxii. 37love is the fulfilling of the law; " and this love, must, naturally, result from faith in the -— 10. gospel; for it is a faith which "worketh by love." And, if that gospel, which represents GOD, as having, from pure love, founded the Christian scheme; which represents Christ, as having, from pure love, offered Himself as a voluntary sacrifice through which man's eternal salvation is purchased and secured; which represents man, as utterly unable to contribute anything towards his own salvation, utterly unable to offer any return for such great and inconceivable love; if this gospel does not beget in man a deep, and fixed, and warm, and animated, love toward GOD and Christ; by what other means can that love be awakened? Is that view of religion, which represents GOD, as estranged from the creatures of His hands; as hating the beings whom He has called into existence; as having, from eternity, destined a vast proportion of them to eternal perdition; and, as holding out to all, the threat of everlasting punishment; is such a view better

calculated to call forth ardent and affectionate love? So, with reference to love toward man. If the gospel be, eminently, calculated to kindle, and keep alive, love toward God; love toward man will follow, as the consequence of love toward GOD. Love toward God will, naturally, tend to beget love toward those for whom He has manifested such inconceivable love. And, as we have no mode by which we can evince, or indulge, the emotions of love toward GoD, but in shewing love toward man the object of His love; we shall have the strongest possible incentive to love one another. That view of the gospel, too, which represents, all our fellow-men as included, with ourselves, in the same glorious scheme of universal love; all as fellow-heirs of the same promises; all as brethren of one common family; which, representing salvation, purely, as a free gift, and, making all, equally, without merit or pretension, destroys all ground of rivalry, jealousy, animosity, contempt, and the like; how does it, naturally, and necessarily, tend to beget, and to sustain, love toward all mankind. Is not such a view far better calculated to generate, and promote, love toward man, than a view, which represents man, as a being, by nature,

hateful in the sight of GOD, and doomed to eternal perdition, from which a few only are rescued, either, by partial election, or, on the ground of superior merit? Are the narrow and exclusive views which are, usually, taken of the Christian scheme, found to be productive of love toward GoD and man? Do they not abundantly generate and foster bigotry, and self-sufficiency, and rancour, and pride, and intolerance, and persecution, and all those other feelings which render man hateful in the sight of his Maker, and a source of evil to his fellows? Do they not abundantly generate scepticism, and cause many to renounce all belief in the Christian scheme of salvation? Are they found, in their workings, to be efficacious in binding man, to man, or to his Creator?

Thus, then, is the question which we have been considering satisfactorily answered.Thus it is proved, that the two commandments upon which hang "all the law and the prophets," are, most powerfully, enforced by that view of the Christian scheme which represents it as a scheme of love, which embraces with its benevolent designs the whole human race. And, were such a view of it received generally, it could not fail

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to beget and to maintain love toward GOD and man. It could not fail to establish "glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.”

After all, the vast majority of the human race has, ever, been, and still is, without any knowledge of Christ and His gospel. The conduct of all these persons, with a reference to GoD or man, can be influenced, only, by the hopes and fears attached to, and springing from, their respective creeds, or by their consciences as influenced by "the law written in their hearts." The view which we have taken of the Christian scheme, represents all these persons as included in the merciful provisions of that scheme; and such a view cannot fail to exalt, on the part of the Christian believer, love towards GoD and His Christ, who have, thus, provided for the salvation of all mankind; and love towards men, of every nation, and of every creed, who are, thus, shewn to be partakers, with himself, of the oenefits of that universal scheme of universal love.

Instead, then, of representing man as, by nature, the object of God's wrath, and the victim of His eternal vengeance ;-instead of pourtraying him as a being debased and de