whatever be pardoned, under the gospel dispensation, but through the sacrifice of Clirist. Yet, when we speak of Christ as the only remedy for sin, and urge the necessity of believing in him for justification, many are ready to object, ' Why does he insist so much on justification by faith ?' But the answer is plain: 'You are sinners before God; and your one great concern should be to know how your sins may be forgiven : now God has provided a way, and only one way, of forgive- ness ; and that is, through the atonement of Christ : therefore we set forth Christ as the one remedy for sin ; and exhort you continually to believe in him.' Consider then, I pray you, what the true scope of such objections is : it is to rob Christ of his glory, and your own souls of salvation. Remember this, and be thankful, that the atonement is so much insisted on, so continually set before you. Pour not contempt upon it : for, if " they who despised Moses' law died without mercy," " of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing p ?" Yes, to such wilful transgressors, " there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation to consume them q."]
4. How wonderful must be the efficacy of the blood of Christ!
[Let only one man's sins be set forth, and they will be found numberless as the sands upon the sea-shore : yet the blood of Christ can cleanse, not him only, but a whole world of sinners, yea, all who have ever existed these six thousand years, or shall ever exist to the very end of time : moreover, his one offering can cleanse them, not merely from sins of ignorance, but even from presumptuous sins, for which no remedy whatever was appointed by the law of Moses r. What a view does this give us of the death of Christ ! O that we could realize it in our minds, just as the offender under the law realized the substitution of the animal which he presented to the priest to be offered in his stead ! Then should we have a just appre- hension of his dignity, and a becoming sense of his love. Let us then carry to him our crimson sinss, not doubting but that they shall all be purged away1; and we may rest assured that, in a little time, we shall join the heavenly choir in singing, " Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, be glory and dominion for ever and ever u."]
P Heb. x. 28, 29. i Heb. x. 26, 27. r Acts xiii. 39.
s Isai. i. 18. '1 John i. 7. u Rev. i. 5, 6.