What assurance has God given us that he will forgive the sins of those who come to him through Jesus Christ, feeling a deep sense of their need of pardon?

The Lord, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin. Exod. xxxiv. 7. Num. xiv. 18.

Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive. Ps. lxxxvi. 5.
There is forgiveness with thee, &c. Ps. cxxx. 4.

Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as snow. Isa. i. 18.
I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions. Isa. xliii. 25.
I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy sins. Isa. xliv. 22.
Our God will abundantly pardon. Isa. lv. 7.

I will pardon all their iniquities. Jer. xxxiii. 8.

The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; for I will pardon them. Jer. 1. 20.

If the wicked will turn, his sins shall not be mentioned. Ezek. xviii. 21, 22.

To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness. Dan. ix. 9. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth sin? Mic. vii. 18. Him hath God exalted to give-forgiveness of sins. Acts v. 31. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. 1 John i. 9.

Do you feel yourselves to be sinners, exposed to the wrath and under the curse of God? or are you sinning with a high hand, setting at defiance the Majesty of heaven, and saying in your hearts, "Tush! God careth not for it?"If the remembrance of your sins be grievous unto you, have you sought the forgiveness of them through Jesus Christ? If not, apply to him now for pardon; for he has said, (Rev. xxii. 17,)" Whosoever will, let him come." He pardoned David, Manasseh, and Peter, and he will also pardon you. He took upon himself your nature-he put himself in your stead-he has satisfied the offended justice of God, by having kept that law which you have broken; and having suffered the punishment due to your offences; if you flee to him for refuge, he will say to you, (Matt. ix. 2,)" Thy sins be forgiven thee-the Lord hath put away thy sin."-But if you should die with your sins unforgiven, it would have been better for you never to have been born.

Absolution. He pardoneth and absolveth all those who truly repent.

Litany.-Pray that it may please God to forgive you all your sins, negligences, and ignorances.

11th Sunday after Trinity.-O God, who declarest thy Almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity, &c.

Collect.--O God, whose nature and property is ever to have mercy, and to forgive--though we be tied and bound with

the chain of our sins, yet let the pitifulness of thy great mercy loose us.*

NOTE.

THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.

"THAT we may understand the notion of forgiveness of sins," says Bishop Pearson, "three considerations are required; first, what is the nature of sin which is to be forgiven; secondly, what is the guilt or obligation of sin which wanteth forgiveness; thirdly, what is the remis sion of sin itself, or the loosing of that obligation."

Under the first head Bishop Pearson quotes several passages of Scrip. ture which define sin as "the transgression of the law," (1 John iii. 4. Rom. iv. 15,) and then continues, "The law of God is the rule of the actions of men, and any aberration from that rule is sin: the law of God is pure, and whatsoever is contrary to that law is impure. Whatsoever therefore is done by man, or is in man, having any contrariety or opposition to the law of God, is sin. Every action, every word, every thought, against the law, is a sin of commission, as it is terminated to an object dissonant from, and contrary to, the prohibition of the law, or a negative precept. Every omission of a duty required of us is a sin, as being contrary to the commanding part of the law, or an affirmative precept. Every evil habit contracted in the soul of man by the actions committed against the law of God is a sin, constituting a man truly a sinner, even then when he actually sinneth not. Any corruption and inclination in the soul, to do that which God forbiddeth, and to omit that which God commandeth, howsoever such corruption and evil inclination came into the soul, whether by an act of his own will, or by an act of the will of another, is a sin, as being something dissonant and repugnant to the law of God."

Of the second particular the author just quoted remarks, that " every sin doth cause a guilt, and every sinner, by being so, becomes a guilty person; which guilt consisteth in a debt or obligation to suffer a punishment proportionable to the iniquity of the sin." This guilt is caused both by sins of omission and commission, and remains after the act or omis sion causing the sin has passed away. This guilt, in the natural course of things, must remain for ever, and for ever subject the offender to the wrath of God. But he against whom the offence is committed has been pleased to interpose, and provide a way by which our guilt may be reinoved. In considering the ways and means which were used by hin for this purpose-in considering what has been done by him towards the remission of sins, we may best understand in what that remission or for. giveness consists.

It appears from the Scriptures that, in order to render the forgiveness of sins possible, two things were necessary, first, a reconciliation of an offended God, and secondly, a satisfaction to a just God. These two things must go together, and provision has been made for both in the work of Christ for our redemption. In this there is contained a RECONCILIATION, without which God cannot be conceived to forgive; it comprehends a SATISFACTION, without which God was resolved not to be recon. ciled. Such are in substance the views of Bishop Pearson, of whose remarks upon these two points the following is an abridgement:

For the first of these, we may be assured of forgiveness of sins, be cause Christ by his death hath reconciled God unto us, who was offended by our sins; and that he hath done so, we are assured, because he who before was angry with us, upon the consideration of Christ's death be

* This collect of the Church of England has not been retained in the American Prayer-book.

comes propitious unto us, and ordained Christ's death to be a propitiation for us. For we are "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. We have an advocate with the Father, and he is the propitiation for our sins. For God loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins." It is evident, therefore, that Christ did render God propitious unto us by his blood, (that is, his sufferings unto death,) who before was offended with us for our sins. And this propitia. tion amounted to a reconciliation, that is, a kindness after wrath. We must conceive that God was angry with mankind before he determined to give our Saviour; we cannot imagine that God, who is essentially just, should not abominate iniquity. The first affection we can conceive in him, upon the lapse of man, is wrath and indignation. God therefore was most certainly offended before he gave a Redeemer; and though it be most true, that he "so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son;" yet there is no incongruity in this, that a father should be offended with that son which he loveth, and at that time offended with him when he loveth him. Notwithstanding therefore that God loved men whom he created, yet he was offended with them when they sinned, and gave his Son to suffer for them, that through that Son's obedience he might be reconciled to them.

In vain it is objected that the Scripture saith our Saviour reconciled men to God, but nowhere teacheth that he reconciled God to man: for in the language of the Scripture, to reconcile a man to God, is in our vulgar language to reconcile God to man; that is, to cause him, who be fore was angry and offended with him, to be gracious and propitious to him. As our Saviour adviseth, "If thou bring thy gift before the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother," that is, reconcile thy brother to thyself, whom thou hast injured, render him by thy submission favourable unto thee, who hath something against thee, and is offended at thee. As the apostle adviseth the wife that "departeth from her husband, to remain unmarried, or to be reconciled to her husband," (1Cor. vii. 11;) that is, to appease and get the favour of her husband. In the like manner we are said to be reconciled unto God, when God is reconciled, appeased, and become gracious and favourable unto us, and Christ is said to reconcile us unto God, when he hath moved, and obtained of God to be reconciled unto us, when he hath appeased him, and restored us unto his favour. Thus "when we were enemies we were reconciled to God," (Rom. v. 10;) that is, notwithstanding he was offended with us for our sins, we were restored unto his favour by the death of his Son.

Nor is it [in the second place] any wonder God should be thus reconciled to sinners by the death of Christ, who while we were yet sinners died for us, because the punishment which Christ, who was our surety, endured, was a full satisfaction to the will and justice of God. "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Now a ransom is a price given to redeem such as are in any way in captivity; any thing laid down by way of compensation, to take off a bond or obligation, whereby he who before was bound becometh free. All sinners were obliged to undergo such punishments as are proportionate to their sins, and were by that obligation made captive and in bonds, and Christ did give his life a ransom for them, and that a proper ransom, if his life were of any price, and given as such For a ransom is properly nothing else but something of price given by way of redemption, to buy or purchase that which is detained, or given for the releasing of that which is enthralled. But it is most evident that the life of Christ was laid down as a price; neither is it more certain that he died than that he bought us: "Ye are bought with a price," (1 Cor.

vi. 20; vii. 23,) saith the apostle, and it is the "Lord who bought us," (2 Pet. ii. 1,) and the price which he paid was his blood; for "we are not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ." Now as it was the blood of Christ, so it was a price given by way of compensation: and as that blood was precious, so was it a full and perfect satisfaction. For as the greatness of the offence and iniquity of the sin is augmented, and increaseth according to the dignity of the person offended and injured by it; so the value, price, and dignity of that which is given by way of compensation, is raised according to the dignity of the person making the satisfaction. God is of infinite majesty, against whom we have sinned; and Christ is of the same divinity, who gave his life a ransom for sinners: for God hath purchased his Church with his own blood. Although therefore God be said to remit our sins by which we were made captive, yet he is never said to remit the price without which we had never been redeemed: neither can he be said to have remitted it, for he did require it and receive it.

If then we consider together, on our side the nature and obligation of sin, and on the part of Christ the satisfaction made and reconciliation wrought, we shall easily perceive how God forgiveth sins, and in what remission of them consisteth. Man being in all conditions under some law of God, who hath sovereign power and dominion over him, and therefore owing absolute obedience to that law, whensoever any way he transgresseth that law, or deviateth from that rule, he becomes thereby a sinner, and contracteth a guilt which is an obligation to endure a punishment proportionable to his offence; and God, who is the lawgiver and Sovereign, becoming now the party wronged and offended, hath a more just right to punish man as an offender. But Christ taking upon him the nature of man, and offering himself a sacrifice for sin, giveth that unto God for and instead of the eternal death of man, which is more valuable and accepatble to God than that death could be, and so maketh a sufficient compensation and full satisfaction for the sins of man: which God accepting, becometh reconciled unto us, and, for the punishment which Christ endured, taketh off our obligation to eternal punishment.

ON THE CREED.

§ 10. ON THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY, AND THE LIFE

EVERLASTING.

WHAT are the last two articles of the Creed?

The resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. How does man differ from the brutes?

He has a living soul, which shall exist eternally; while the spirit that animates the brute perishes together with its body.

The resurrection unto eternal life is one of the principles of the doctrine of Christ, (Heb. vi. 2,) and one of the privileges of the members of Christ.

What is death?

The separation of the soul from the body.

Let this child's soul come into him again. 1 Kings xvii. 21.

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Eccl. xii. 7.

What becomes of the bodies of men when they die?

They are dissolved by corruption, and turned again into dust.

I have said to corruption, Thou art my father; to the worm, Thou art my mother and my sister, when our rest together is in the dust. Job xvii. 14. 16.

All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust. Job xxxiv. 15.

Thou hast brought me into the dust of death. Ps. xxii. 15.
If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved.-2 Cor.

v. 1.

Death is sometimes in the Scriptures called a sleep:not a sleep of the soul, but a sleep of the body till the last day.

Now shall I sleep in the dust. Job vii. 21.
Lest I sleep the sleep of death. Ps. xiii. 3.
Our friend Lazarus sleepeth. John xi. 11.

It is the common lot of all, except Enoch, (Gen. v. 24,) and Elijah, (2 Kings ii. 11,) and there is no escaping it. Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Gen. iii. 19. What man is he that liveth and shall not see death? Ps. lxxxix. 48.

Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Rom. v.

12.

It is appointed unto men once to die. Heb. ix. 27.

What becomes of the souls of men at death?

They go to a place of happiness or misery, accordingly as they are prepared for the one or the other.

Lazarus and Dives: the rich man was tormented in hell; and Lazarus was carried by angels into Abraham's bosom. Luke xvi. 23.

To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. Luke xxiii. 43.
Into thy hands I commend my spirit. Luke xxiii. 46.

Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Acts vii. 59.

The spirits of just men made perfect. Heb. xii. 23.

I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, &c., and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long-dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Rev. vi. 9, 10.

How long will the bodies of men continue in the grave?
Till the morning of the resurrection.

The harvest is the end of the world. Matt. xiii. 39.
What is a resurrection?

The re-union of the soul and body.

The valley was full of bones and they lived and stood up upon their feet. Ezek. xxxvii. 1. 7, 8. 10.