and rather than such a stain should be brought on his moral government, he would exact of his only dear Son the debt that was due from us, and inflict on him the curse which our sins had merited. In this way the authority of his law would be fully vindicated, at the time that the transgressors of it were forgiven : yea, by the sufferings of our incarnate God it would be more honoured than if all its penalties had been inflicted on the whole human race. Seeing, then, that such honour would accrue to the law from this marvellous device, it " became" the Almighty Lawgiver to arrange his dispensations with a view to this great result.]
2. For the displaying of his own perfections —
[If man had been forgiven without any atonement made for sin, what should we have known either of the justice or the holiness of God ? Holiness imports an hatred of sin ; and justice, the dealing with men according to their deserts. But not a trace of these would have been found, if men had not suffered, either in their own persons or their Surety, the penalty due to sin. Even truth itself would have failed ; and God's most solemn threatenings been falsified. But no such consequences flow from the exercise of mercy through a suffer- ing Saviour. On the contrary, every perfection of the Deity is the more honoured, because, what it derives not from us, it receives from the Lord Jesus Christ, who, as our Surety, endured all, that justice, or holiness, or truth could possibly require.]
3. For the magnifying of his own grace —
[Doubtless it would have been a stupendous act of grace, if man had been forgiven without any atonement made for sin. But, glorious as such a favour would have been, it would have had no glory, by reason of the infinitely richer display of mercy which we have in the Gospel of his Son. Such a mercy, if I may so speak, would have been attended with no sacrifice on the part of God : but by giving his own Son out of his bosom, he has made a sacrifice which no finite intelligence can ever duly appreciate. Hence this is represented as exhibiting, above all other things, " the exceeding riches of his grace ;" and as commending to us, with unrivalled evidence, the won- ders of his love : " Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and gave his Son to he the propitiation for our sins^." But to display this grace was worthy of the Deity; and though, with a view to it, the sacrifice that he must make was great, yet, on the whole, was it such a sacrifice as well " became him."]
••» 1 John iv. f>, 10,